No Chance
by TakerTakeMe
Summary: This is a sequel to The One I Gave My Heart To... Maybe it'll help you understand what Chris did and why he did it...
1. No Chance In Hell

**A/N: I really had no clue why Vince made Chris dump Steph in "The One I Gave My Heart To", and I'm the author of the story! Pathetic, right? I know... But I think I've done a good job improvising. Now I know why it all happened... Read on to find out! Also, I have no clue where the title for this story comes from, but I'll figure it out one of these days...**

**Chapter 1: No Chance In Hell**

Stephanie sat in her office Monday night at Raw looking idly off into space. She had piles of papers to go through, but this massive workload was intentional. She needed the distraction. But the distraction just wasn't working the way she wanted it to. She still couldn't stop thinking of Chris.

He had dumped her the previous Friday, only three days ago, and she hadn't seen or heard from him since. That first night she had stayed up waiting, waiting for him to call her and tell her that it was all a joke, some weird twisted joke to test her patience, to test her love for him. She'd held the phone in her hand and stared at it, willing it to ring.

But it hadn't rang.

Because he never called.

A knock on Stephanie's office door startled her out of her thoughts. She looked over at the door and her heart leapt into her throat. It had to be Chris, coming to let her know that he was there and he was still hers and it was all just a cruel joke someone had dared him to play. "Come in," she called.

"Steph?" Vince McMahon peeked his head into her office and smiled at her. His smile quickly faded when he saw the disappointed look on her usually happy face. "Honey, what's wrong?" he asked, trying to appear to be concerned as he walked over to her. "Why are you crying?"

She put her arms on her desk and buried her face in them, crying. She didn't want her father to see her this way, and she especially didn't want her father to know _why_ she was this way. He would just get that stupid little grin on his face and say something along the lines of, "I told you so." And that wasn't something she needed to hear.

"Steph?" he said, wondering if his acting skills were working right... _Of course they're working right!_ he thought. _I'm a McMahon, damn it!_ He smiled quickly at that thought before pulling his daughter to her feet and into a huge hug. Yes, he would play the role of the concerned father comforting his heartbroken daughter, no matter how far from the truth it actually was.

"Oh, Daddy," she cried, leaning on him and putting her arms around him. She felt like she was 15 all again, when she'd had the biggest crush ever on Shawn Michaels. At that time, Shawn had been 26 and not particularly interested in her, what with all the women flinging themselves at him. He'd called her a kid and told her that she would always just be a kid to him. Needless to say, she had been hurt beyond belief and had run straight into her father's arms. And now, 14 years later, here she was all over again in a very similar predicament. She felt miserable and pathetic.

"What's wrong, Princess?" Vince asked, patting her back softly. "Who did this to you? Who made Daddy's Little Girl cry?"

"Something horrible happened on Friday night," she whispered, tears still pouring from her eyes.

"What? What happened?" he asked, as if he didn't already know. Of course he already knew. He had planned it all, the whole thing. Two and a half years ago, he had worked as hard as he could to set up his daughter with Chris Jericho. It had been obvious even to him that they were crazy about each other, though neither one had the nerve to admit it. So Vinnie Mac had taken it upon himself to complete the arduous task of making them realize their true feelings. When they had finally started dating, Vince had been so ecstatic, so happy that Daddy's Little Girl had finally gotten the happiness that she deserved...

"Chris... He broke up with me," she whispered, squeezing her eyes shut tight. Her voice sounded as though uttering those words had been the most painful thing to do _ever_.

"Aw, I'm so sorry, Steph," he lied, hugging her even tighter. The truth? He wasn't sorry about it at all, considering the fact that he was the one who had initiated the whole breakup in the first place. He wanted Chris Jericho out of his daughter's life, because Jericho was, quite simply, a _poison_. Chris Jericho had given Stephanie confidence, the confidence she'd never had since being turned away by Shawn, and she had actually had the nerve to stand up to her father! And Vince... Well, suffice to say he hadn't liked this confident streak of independence and defiance in his daughter. So he devised an intricate plan to break them up, and his plan had worked, if his sobbing, broken-hearted daughter was any indication...

"I just don't understand," she sobbed, her voice catching. "I thought he loved me..."

"Of course he loved you," he said in a comforting voice. "What makes you think he didn't?"

"He said he didn't. He said he never had," she said, sniffling. She pulled away and wiped her eyes, but of course the tears never stopped. "He said it was all just a game that he was tired of playing."

"He _said_ that?" he asked, pleasantly surprised. _Score one for Chris!_ he thought. It seemed like Chris had added some creativity and whatnot to his act when he'd dumped Stephanie. _See, that's what I like about him. Through it all, he's an entertainer. Even when he's ripping someone's heart out with his bare hands, the man is focused on being an entertainer. Even when no cameras are rolling, he's_...

"Daddy?"

"Oh, sorry, sweetheart," he said quickly. "That damn Jericho is going to pay for doing this to you. In fact..." He turned for the door. "I'm going to go find that son of a bitch right now and rip him a new one!"

"Daddy, no!" she exclaimed, absolutely terrified. "I don't want you to hurt him..."

"Why not?" he asked indignantly. "He hurt you first. I believe very much in retribution."

"But if you hurt him, that might destroy whatever shred of a chance I might have left with him!" she shrieked.

"Shred of a chance? Oh, Princess..." He gave her another hug, but a huge smile had spread across his face. She thought she still had a chance with Chris even after all he'd said to her last week? Pathetic. But he loved the idea of Chris breaking her heart again and again by turning her down over and over and over. Ah, this was better than he thought! He looked down at his daughter and let her go. "Steph, don't torture yourself by thinking that he's coming back."

"I'm not torturing myself," she protested. "He might come back."

He cupped her face in his hands. "I am your _father_. Listen to me," he began.

"I'm... I'm listening," she whispered.

"Good. Chris. Is. Not. Coming. Back. To. You," he said, making sure to emphasize each word. Her eyes filled with tears again. "Ever," he added in a low voice, just for added effect. When her bottom lip quivered and the first tears of a fresh batch spilled from her eyes, he had to bite his lip to keep from smiling. God, this was good! In no time at all, she would be the broken woman that she once was, the one with no confidence whatsoever, the one who admired and respected her father and ignored his many shortcomings.

And that was all he really wanted.

He let her go and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "It'll be ok," he promised, then turned and walked out of the office, grinning from ear to ear. He owed Chris Jericho another thank you, and this time he was going to get it face to face. But it would have to be short, because Vince McMahon was a very busy man. He had a whole business to run, countless people to manipulate and control, and plenty of happy lives to ruin. Yes, he was a busy man, indeed.

But not too busy to pay the man who had broken his daughter's spirit and her a heart a little visit.

He swaggered down the hall until he reached Chris Jericho's locker room. He raised his hand to knock, but really, what was the logic in that? He owned everything anyway. He barged into the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Chris Jericho was sitting in a steel chair with his eyes closed. Sleep? Perhaps he had been, and perhaps he hadn't been. Either way, his eyes snapped open when his door slammed shut. His eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't slept in three days. He looked at Vince and his eyes narrowed. Boss or not, he was pissed off at him, and he wasn't afraid to let it be known. "What the fuck do you want?"

"You look like shit," Vince observed with obvious pleasure. "You look like a monster truck ran over you, backed up, running over you again in the process, and then went forward and flattened you to the ground _again_."

That's what it felt like happened to his heart, that was for sure. But he wasn't about to say that. "I get it, Vince," Chris replied, sounding tired. He ran a hand over his unshaven face and through his unkempt hair. "I look like a pile of dog crap."

"That's an understatement," Vince cracked. "But anyway, I have a reason for being here."

"Enlighten me, then. Are you here to ruin my life again?" Chris asked. He looked thoughtful. "Oh wait, you can't. There's nothing left for you to ruin."

"Nope. I'm just here to express my extreme gratitude for your HUGE role in breaking my daughter's heart," Vince said gleefully. He was just eating this all up. "You should see her now, Chris. From what I hear, you really pulled quite a number on her."

"That's not something I wanted to do, assclown," Chris retorted. He could still remember the way her face looked when he'd told her all those lies... Yep, definitely the hardest thing he'd ever had to do, and the absolute last thing he'd ever _wanted_ to do...

"Apparently, she still thinks you're going to come running back to her," Vince said, smiling. "It was so funny to hear her talk about her 'shred of a chance' with you as she called it."

"She...thinks we still have a chance?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Of course she does. My daughter _loves_ you," Vince said with a shrug. "But, as my entrance music says, there's really _no chance_ of you and her getting back together. _No chance in hell_."

Chris sighed and looked away, remembering her voice, the way she had sounded when she had asked him for one last kiss. That kiss... He knew that it was the last kiss he'd ever share with her. It had been so... He couldn't explain it. He just couldn't explain it.

"Silence from the self-proclaimed King of the World? That's a first," Vince said. He grinned at Chris. "Thanks, son-in-law... Oh wait, you'll never be my son-in-law unless you marry Shane, because you sure as hell have no chance with Stephanie. And before you get any freaky ideas, Shane is quite happily married."

"Just leave me the hell alone," Chris said quietly. If he couldn't have Stephanie by his side, he wanted to be by himself. That was it.

"Nice doing business with you. Maybe... I'll give you a call in a few days with a new assignment," Vince told him.

"No more fucking assignments, Vince. I'm done," Chris said vehemently. "I'm at the end of my rope. Jericho is out."

"That's what they all say," Vince chortled. "But you'll come around. I'm sure of it." Laughing, he exited the room.

Chris folded his arms across his chest and felt a stupid tear roll down his face. He wiped at it angrily, but his anger quickly turned back into the sadness and resentment he had been feeling since Friday night.

He was hurting...

His heart was still breaking into more minuscule pieces by the second...

Vince McMahon, the old lying bastard, was still hounding him...

But most of all, he missed his Stephy.

**A/N: Ok, so this was sort of long, I think. Once I got started, I just couldn't stop! Anyway, I'll try to update this story soon, but inspiration chooses when it wants to hit so... Well, you all know how that is!**


	2. A Little Mystery

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing, everybody! You guys are my inspiration!**

**Chapter 2: A Little Mystery**

Stephanie somehow managed to pull herself together after her father's little visit. She didn't know how she did it, but soon she found herself working diligently on those piles of paperwork stacked high on her desk. Still, the work that she threw herself into wasn't enough to get her mind off of everything that had happened, but it did provide her with at least a small distraction for a short amount of time.

She was so into her work, so distracted and oblivious to anything and everything around her besides her work that she didn't even hear the soft knocking on the door. The knocking got a little louder and a lot more persistent, though, and she was finally forced to tear herself away from her work and notice it.

"Yeah?" she called, still very much distracted. "Come on in."

A timid backstage worker opened the door and stepped into the room. He was carrying some roses and a card. "Excuse me, Ms. McMahon. I don't mean to disturb you, but I was instructed to bring these to you," the worker said in a shaky voice.

Stephanie looked at the worker, who was obviously very intimidated by just her presence. She felt bad about that right away. "What's your name?" she asked him.

"Richie," the worker answered.

"How has your day been, Richie?" she asked cordially.

"It's been pretty nice. I really enjoy working for your father," Richie said.

"Daddy's quite the businessman, huh?" she said, smiling as Richie nodded his head emphatically. "So, um... Who sent me this stuff?"

"I really don't know," he said, walking over to her desk. He carefully set the roses down and handed her the card. "This is a really nice bouquet, in my opinion. It looks expensive."

"Yeah, it does," she agreed. She held out her hand to shake his. "Nice to meet you, Richie. I forgot to say it earlier."

He was surprised by the gesture. "It's ok. It's a real pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. McMahon." He beamed as he shook her hand.

"Call me Stephanie," she said. She looked curiously down at the card in her left hand, then back up at Richie. "Um, if you don't mind, I'd like to open this in private," she told him.

"Not a problem. It's been great talking to you, Ms. McMa...Stephanie," he said, blushing. He gave her a tentative smile, then quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Stephanie saw her name written in fancy cursive across the front of the envelope. It looked so elegant and neat, so royal. Funny. All her life, her father had told her that she was royalty, whether it be a "royal" pain in the butt or his little princess... But that was off the subject. She wondered who'd sent this to her, then realized that there had to be only one explanation...

Chris.

It was so obviously Chris. Over the whole time she had known Chris, even before they had started dating, he had always sent her flowers after any argument that took place between them. Before they had started going out, any time he sent her flowers, he always said that they were a joke, a gag gift of sorts. But they both knew the truth. To anyone else, it might've seemed like the King of the World was playing one of his famous jokes on the Billion Dollar Princess, but that was never the case...

She opened the envelope slowly, carefully, and pulled out the card. It was not a fancy card at all. Rather, it was one of those blank cards, the ones creative people buy to insert their own pictures and messages in. She smiled as she looked at the front of the white card. There was a detailed sketch of her own face on there, and in her opinion, that was a pretty good likeness. Hell, it was like looking into a mirror...

She opened the card up and saw a message scrawled inside. It didn't look like Chris' handwriting but it so obviously had to be him. It just had to. She smiled and her heartbeat sped up as she read the neatly-written cursive there. It read: _Dear Princess, I'm so sorry about what happened. I want to make you forget about it, forget that it ever happened. Let me ease the pain for you... You can think of me as your human Tylenol! Meet me for dinner at 8:00 P.M. at The Gardens and wear something pretty. Tell the people at the restaurant that you have a reservation with Peter Thomas (I had to make up a fake name so we could be anonymous). Be there or be square... Ok, who am I kidding? With those luscious curves on your body, you'll never, eeeeever be square!_

The card wasn't signed, but she knew it was Chris. It just had to be Chris. Only Chris would make reservations at an expensive restaurant under a fake name just to keep their true identities anonymous. Only Chris would claim to want to be her "human Tylenol". Only Chris would say something completely dorky like "be there or be square". And only Chris would make that dorky "square" comment become some kind of sweet and thoughtful compliment _and_ use one of his catchphrases in the compliment at the same time.

Only Chris.

She smiled, reread the card, then put it carefully back into the envelope it had arrived in and slipped it into her purse. She looked at her watch, which read 4:30 P.M. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "I have to meet Chris at 8, and that's three and a half hours away! And I don't have anything to wear!" This called for a necessary excursion to the mall... A shopping trip.

She hurriedly packed her work up, then grabbed all her stuff, including the beautiful bouquet of roses, and quickly left her office. She fairly glided down the hall at breakneck speeds, avoiding any and all obstacles that stood in her way. But the one obstacle that she could not avoid no matter what stopped her as she was about to exit the building. This "obstacle" was waiting for her in the hallway near the exit.

"Steph, where are you going?" Vince asked, wondering why she looked so happy. Hadn't he left her in tears a mere few hours ago? Hell yeah, he had. So why, then, was she smiling?

Stephanie smiled. "I have a date tonight at 8, so I have to go shopping for a hot new outfit."

"You have a _date_?" he asked, shocked. She nodded. "And who is it with?"

"Daddy, you ask some of the most 'way out there' questions," she said.

"I just want to know who my daughter is going out on a date with," he said tightly. "Is that so very wrong of me?"

She put a hand on his arm and her sparkling laughter filled the air. "I'm a big girl now, Daddy. The little princess can take care of herself...and she _definitely_ doesn't need her father's permission to go on a date with her boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

"Since about two years ago, silly. It's not official yet, but Chris and I are just as good as back together."

"Impossible."

"It's only a matter of time... I have to go. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Yes, later." He watched her walk away, pretending to smile like he was happy for her. As soon as she turned the corner and left his field of vision, however, the smile plastered on his face quite quickly disappeared. It was replaced by a frown, and he clenched his teeth. He was, quite literally, pissed.

Who the hell did Chris Jericho think he was, asking his daughter out on a date and getting back together with her without his permission? That wasn't in the damn plan at all. Was Chris really that foolish to go up against the all-powerful Vincent K. McMahon? To go against the wishes of his boss, the man who _owned_ him? Apparently, he was. Well Vince had explicitly warned Chris about what would happen if he didn't go through with this little assignment in its entirety, and now he was skating on some very thin and fragile ice.

Vince decided right then and there to go and pay Chris a little visit for the second time in one day...

It didn't take Vince very long to swagger his way down the halls and to Chris Jericho's locker room. For the second time, he contemplated knocking on the door, but really, what would be the logic in that? He was pissed off at him, and it would be interpreted the wrong way if he decided to knock. Anyway, he was the boss. Therefore, he never knocked for _anybody!_

Vince burst into the locker room and stalked inside, slamming the door so hard behind him that he thought, with some satisfaction, that he had heard it crack. He walked over to Chris, who was still sitting in the very same spot he'd been sitting in last time: on the steel chair.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Vince demanded to know.

Chris looked up at his irate boss. "I think I'm Chris Jericho, unless you have some substantial evidence to prove that I'm not," he said in a dry voice. "Now what the hell do you want?"

"Don't get smart with me, Chris! I can _ruin_ you!" Vince threatened.

"You've already ruined me, Vince," Chris said. "There's nothing else left for you to ruin... Didn't I tell you that earlier?"

"Yeah, and I _believed_ you, until I talked to Stephanie a few minutes ago!" Vince practically screamed.

"Stephanie? What about Stephanie?" Chris asked, suddenly attentive. He sat up a little straighter, now concerned. "Did something happen to her? Is she ok?"

"How dare you ask her out on a date today? You son of a bitch!" Vince spat.

"What are you talking about? I never asked her out on a date today," Chris said, bewildered. Not that he hadn't wanted to do exactly that. He had yet to see her, and it had been since Friday. Much too long to go without seeing the woman he loved more than life itself. He missed her like crazy, missed everything about her...

"Don't fucking lie to me. I hate liars!" Vince shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Chris shouted back.

"You really don't know?" Vince asked in a quieter voice, raising his eyebrows at the younger man.

"I have no idea _what_ you're talking about!" Chris snapped. "What's all this business about a date, anyway?"

"I just saw Stephanie leaving, and according to her, she has a date with _you_ tonight at 8," Vince said. "She's under the impression that you two are getting back together tonight."

"I've been sitting here all day, I swear," Chris said, mouth agape. He was absolutely puzzled. "Is this another one of your sadistic jokes, Vince?"

"No," Vince said truthfully. "But if it's not _you_ who she's going on a date with, then who the hell is it? She implied that it was you, referring to you as her boyfriend again."

"Something weird is going on here," Chris said with a sigh. "And I'm not sure if I'm supposed to like it or not."

"Well, I don't like it, damn it! She's supposed to be hurting and grieving and running to me for support!" Vince fumed, stomping his feet.

"Stop throwing a temper tantrum. You're not the one who should be upset here. _I_ am!" Chris exclaimed. "After all, _my_ girlfriend, _my_ Stephy, is going on a date with another man!"

"_Your_ Stephy? No, you misunderstand. She's not _yours_ anymore," Vince said. He turned on his heel and headed for the door, now fully preoccupied. "Now the mystery to be solved is, who the hell is she going on a date with tonight?"

Chris stayed seated on the uncomfortable steel chair and watched the old devil leave. He wondered if perhaps Vince was trying to screw with his mind or something. He didn't put it past the man to do something like that. Lord knows he had done it enough in the past... But the thing that really bugged Chris was the fact that even _Vince_ seemed genuinely confused about this whole thing. Granted, Vince was a pretty good actor, but the man couldn't act _that_ well.

So what the hell was going on?

Who the hell did Stephanie have a date with?

Did she really have a date with someone already?

Was she already over him?

Chris heaved another great sigh before attempting to stand up. Oh, did it _hurt_ to try standing up after sitting on a steel chair in one position for hours on end! His muscles ached at the sudden movement after being at rest for so long, but he just bit his lip and welcomed the physical pain.

At least it helped distract him from the way that his heart was feeling after learning that _his_ Stephy had a date...

**A/N: I have most of Chapter 3 written already. I just need to finish writing it and type it up...**


	3. Mystery Man Unveiled

**Chapter 3: Mystery Man Unveiled**

"How do I look?" Stephanie asked her reflection in the mirror of her hotel room.

"You look ravishing," she replied in a high nasal voice.

"Really? What do you think Chris will do when he sees me?"

"Why, he's going to make love to you on top of the table at The Gardens. He's going to absolutely _love_ your dress!"

"You think so?" She spun around in front of the mirror, admiring her black dress, her heels, and overall the way that she looked.

"I _know_ so. Now put on some lip gloss."

"What's the point? Chris will just-"

"Kiss it away, I know. But do it anyway."

"Fine. You're right," she said, grabbing her lip gloss and starting to put some on her lips.

"I'm always right. Remember, I'm you."

"Then why am I talking to myself?" she asked, putting the finishing touches on her lips.

"Hell if I know. Maybe you're just crazy."

She sighed and turned away from the mirror. "As if I didn't already know that," she muttered. She walked over and grabbed her purse from the bed, then rushed back over to the mirror to check her reflection one last time. She wanted to look perfect for Chris, because if he thought she looked perfect then maybe that would cement the fact that they were officially back together.

"Stop worrying, you look great!"

"I can't help but worry," she said, critically eyeing her reflection.

"You look as hot as me, and that's saying' something! Not many people can say they're as hot as me."

"You're _my_ reflection. Therefore, _you_ look as hot as _me_."

"You're talking to yourself. You know that, right?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her reflection, then headed for the door. She walked out into the hallway and made her way to the elevator at the end of the hall. Once in the elevator, she leaned against the wall and thought about the conversation she'd just had with her reflection, or more accurately, with her_self_. She had always talked to her reflection in the mirror before a big date for as long as she could remember. When she was in her teens and she was about to go on a date, her mother had never been there like other mothers were to reassure her and tell her how beautiful she looked. No one was really around to do that for her except for their maid, but she was rarely able to do that because Shane was always busy messing things up just so the maid would have to _clean_ them up. So she had been forced to talk to herself in the mirror, to reassure herself about how good she looked and how much her date would love her. The routine had stuck, and now here she was, 29, still talking to herself in the mirror.

Funny.

The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and she stepped out into the lobby of the hotel. She headed quickly across the lobby as all eyes were instantly riveted on her. The women looked at her with disdain, green with envy, and the guys wore perverted smirks on their faces. It was always like this, wherever she went, and especially if she was looking particularly good. She was used to it by now. But that didn't mean she welcomed it or liked it. Because she didn't, and she hated it.

"Mmmm, look at _you_," came a familiar voice from behind her.

"Hunter," she said, acknowledging her former husband. She turned around to face him. "Way to ruin a good mood."

"You look good enough to eat," Hunter said, grinning a quite lecherous grin. He stepped closer, inhaling her fresh scent. "Who you lookin' so damn good for? Please say me."

"In your dreams. You had your chance," she reminded him. "And besides, I have a boyfriend, you know?"

"So soon?" he asked, surprised. "You must be _hard_ on the rebound, because word in the locker room says Friday night Jericho dropped your ass like a sack of potatoes."

"For your _information_," she said, blushing, "Chris and I have a hot date tonight. So _there!_" She stuck her tongue out at him. How he disgusted her!

"Ooh, a little tongue," he teased. "What do you say you give me a little kiss for old time's sake?"

"You know what you can do for me?" she asked him.

"What's that, Steph?" he asked.

"You can kiss my ass," she told him, then spun on her heel and headed for the door.

She hadn't made it three steps away before he grabbed her from behind, leaned down, and firmly kissed her butt right through her dress in front of _everyone_. He stood up straight, looking at her. "Like that, Steph?"

She turned around with a sweet smile on her blushing face. "No, Hunter, like _this_." She raised her right hand, the palm of which immediately came into contact with his left cheek.

_It was the slap that could be heard around the world._

She smirked at him as he clutched his cheek, then hurried out of the lobby and to her waiting limousine. She looked at her watch. 7:45 P.M. She hoped The Gardens was nearby, or else she was going to be late...

The Gardens was closer to the hotel than she had expected. She hurried out of the limo and into the restaurant. She told them that she had a reservation under the name of Peter Thomas, and then before she knew it she was being led over to a secluded table in the corner.

She sat down at the table with her back facing the direction she had just came from. She didn't want to look at the people around her. When Chris showed up, she only wanted to focus her attention on him since she had been deprived of seeing his beautiful face for three days. Those three day were three days too long. She sat there and stared at a candle that was sitting on the table burning. Fire... When she was with Chris, she always felt the fire. Their chemistry was just breathtakingly hot, too...

She saw a shadow fall over her, and she smiled. "Why, I was beginning to think you were going to stand me up."

"And miss seeing your beautiful face? No way," came a familiar male voice.

The voice did not belong to Chris.

Stephanie looked over her shoulder and up into the eyes of a fairly good-looking man. No, scratch that. He wasn't _just_ good-looking. He was hot! She could never deny that. But what was _he_ doing here?

"You're not Chris," she said, stating the obvious.

"I know I'm not," he said, leaning down to kiss her on the cheek. He walked around and sat down across from her. "Do I need to tell you who I am?"

"I know who you are," she said. She discreetly pinched herself under the table on her thigh, just to make sure it was real. Yep, it was real. Her leg, her thigh in particular, was stinging like hell! "But maybe you need to tell me anyway."

"I'm The Showstoppa! The Heartbreak Kid! I'm Shawn Michaels!" he said, smirking at her.

"And you know who I am?" she asked. "I'm Stephanie McMahon, the little girl you turned down fourteen long years ago."

"Little girl? Ha!" he scoffed. He leaned back in his chair and gave her a heated look, licking his lips slowly. "You're not a little girl anymore, not even close. I've been noticing that for a while now..." His voice trailed off as his eyes roamed over her, resting on her ample cleavage. "Yep, you're _definitely_ all woman now."

She blushed, cocking her head slightly to the side and looking at him curiously.

Yes, this was going to be a _very_ interesting date...

**A/N: I know it's a bit shorter than the first two chapters, but this was a good place to end it. We'll see where it goes from here.**


	4. The Date

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! My muse for this story bitch-slapped me in the face this morning and forced me to write another chapter, so here it is!**

**Chapter 4: The Date**

"So..." Stephanie looked at Shawn. It was quite a while later. Dinner was basically over, and only their drinks and their dessert sat before them on the table.

"So...what?" Shawn asked, eating a small bite of his cheesecake.

"Why did you do this?" she asked, gesturing at the table. She wanted to know why he had gone through all this trouble to set up this date with her. Why had he written the note in the card? Why had he gotten her roses? Why had he drawn the picture of her? And why had he impersonated Chris the whole time? All these questions were on her mind, but she wanted to give him a chance to explain. To come clean. He had to have a reason to do this. And so she waited for his explanation.

He looked across the table and into her inquiring eyes. "I heard about what happened with you and Chris, and I wanted to comfort you," he told her.

"By taking me on a pity date? By pretending to be Chris just to get me here?" she asked. That was the part that upset her the most. In the beginning when he had first arrived, she had been nothing short of shocked. The guy she'd had her first real crush on fourteen long years ago was there on a date with her. But the key element was the fact that she had liked him fourteen years ago. He had broken her heart and turned her away... She had been expecting Chris to show up at the restaurant, not Shawn. Chris was the man she loved, not Shawn. To say she had become horribly disappointed during the beginning of dinner wouldn't be a sufficient adjective to describe her emotions. And now, by the end, she was getting mad. Mad that she had been actually tricked into this dinner by Shawn...

"First off, you know as well as I do that you wouldn't have shown up unless you thought Chris was meeting you," he said. "Am I right, or _am I right_?"

"Well, yeah, but why a pity date?" she asked. "That's like saying I'm never going to have another date with another man... I mean, I probably wouldn't, because I only want Chris. He's my everything, he's..."

"Let me interrupt your 'I Love Chris' speech for a minute there, Princess," he said, holding his hand up to silence her. She closed her mouth abruptly and he started talking again. "This definitely isn't a pity date, unless it's _you_ having pity on _me_."

"What are you talking about, Shawn?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. Something weird was going on there, and she was feeling particularly suspicious of Shawn all of a sudden...

"Princess," he began, taking her hands in his from across the small table. "Do you remember all those years ago when you...approached me?"

"Approached you?" she asked, smiling nervously. "Conservative word choice there."

"I was putting it lightly, but I'll change it," he said. "Remember all those years ago when you...came on to me?"

She blushed furiously as she remembered how she had tried to actually seduce him when she was fifteen. She'd thought it was working for a while there, but obviously it had failed...

**Flashback: Fourteen Years Ago**

_"Hi, Shawn. Are you busy right now?" Stephanie asked, poking her head into the men's locker room and looking cautiously around._

_"No, I always have time for you, Steph," Shawn said. "Come on in, doll."_

_"Doll?" She smiled and entered the empty locker room. She closed and locked the door behind herself. She didn't need or want any interruptions._

_Shawn looked over at her and grinned. "What, are you being The Undertaker for a day?"_

_She looked down at the trench coat she was wearing and smiled up at him. "Actually, Shawn, it's what I'm wearing underneath, or lack thereof, that you should be interested in."_

_He raised an eyebrow and leaned against the wall. "Ok, Steph, what's going on?" he asked._

_"It's like this. I think you're the hottest guy I've ever met," she said, walking over to stand in front of him. "And I like you." There, she'd said it._

_"Really? Um...that's flattering," he said, folding his arms across his chest. He had a bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling._

_"Aren't you just a little bit curious to know what I'm wearing underneath this trench coat?" she asked._

_"Just a little," he admitted. "But I don't think you should-"_

_"Let me show you," she said, and before he could protest, she took the trench coat off and let it fall to her feet. His jaw went slack as his eyes roamed over her scantily-clad fifteen year old body, and she smiled. "Like what you see?"_

_"What... You..." He couldn't form a sentence that actually made sense no matter how hard he tried. He was Shawn Michaels, a hot, young stud, so he was used to women of all ages throwing themselves at him. But this was different. This was Vince McMahon's daughter..._

_She smiled at him, her confidence radiating off her in waves. She had him speechless. Someone in school had told her that if she could successfully render a man speechless then he was practically hers. She stepped up closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, then stared into his eyes._

_"What are you doing?" he asked, shocked at her actions. "You must be out of your mind."_

_"I'm not out of my mind. I just really, really like you," she told him. She started playing with his hair, running her fingers through it. His hair was so soft and silky, just like she had imagined. "Kiss me, Shawn."_

_"Kiss you? I can't do that," he said, unable to believe what she had just told him to do._

_"Do you want to?" she asked._

_He looked at her, thought about how innocent she seemed. She seemed so pure, but the skimpy clothes she was wearing... "No," he said, finally answering her question. He didn't sound very convincing to himself._

_Apparently, he didn't sound very convincing to her, either. "Please, Shawn," she pleaded softly. "I never kissed a guy before."_

_Knowing that he was going to regret it later but unable to resist her pleading voice, he leaned down and kissed her softly. She didn't exactly know how to respond at first, but soon she just did what felt natural and kissed him back. She tasted sweet to him, sweet and heavenly. He wrapped his arms around her and kept kissing her._

_She broke the kiss and looked up into his eyes, which seemed so dark all of a sudden. "Shawn, I want you to..." She couldn't make herself say the words. It seemed like none of her classmates were virgins. Just her. And maybe, if her and Shawn... If they did it, then maybe he would like her as much as she liked him._

_He knew what she wanted to ask him. He led her over to the couch, and in an instant she was on her back with him hovering over her, looking down into her eyes. He leaned down and kissed her again, teasing her with his tongue. His still fully-clothed body moved slowly and suggestively against hers as they kissed, and she moaned into his mouth. She never knew it would feel so good to kiss him, to touch him, to feel him touch her._

_"Shawn," she moaned, panting a little as he placed hot kisses on her neck._

_"What?" he asked, sucking lightly on her neck. He wanted to make his mark on her, and it pleased him to know that he would probably be the first to do so._

_"I'm a virgin," she whispered, sounding slightly ashamed._

_He was on his feet in seconds, raking his fingers nervously through his hair. He looked down at her lying there on the couch, panting lightly, wanting him. Her hair was tousled, and her lips were a little swollen from kissing him. She looked so young and innocent... He felt disgusted with himself, and he looked away._

_"What's wrong?" she asked. She got up and put her arms around him again. "Did you stop because I'm a virgin?"_

_"You being a virgin isn't a problem. It just reminded me of this age difference," he said. "You're fifteen and I'm twenty six."_

_"Age is just a number," she said. "Haven't you ever heard that saying?"_

_"Yeah, but God, Steph, you're a kid," he said, looking down at her. "A very pretty kid, but a kid nonetheless."_

_"That's what you think? That I'm a kid?" she asked in a low voice.  
_

_"It's what I know," he said matter-of-factly. He bit his lip. "You'll always be a kid to me, Steph. I'm eleven years older than you."_

_"But you were just kissing me and..." She was so confused. She couldn't understand what was going on._

_"Look, never mention those kisses anymore. As a matter of fact, they never happened, ok?" He pulled away from her. She stood there looking like she was going to cry, and he felt bad because it would be all his fault if she did._

_Suddenly, the doorknob to the locker room started jiggling. Since it was locked, the person trying to open the door started knocking._

_"Don't make a sound," he told Stephanie. She nodded and he walked over to the door. "Who's there?"_

_"Oh, Shawn, it's Kimmie," a perky female voice answered._

_Kimmie... Kimmie... Who was... Oh yeah, the blonde girl from last night. "I'll be out in a sec. I'm just getting dressed," Shawn said, looking over at Stephanie._

_"I've seen you naked before," Kimmie said suggestively. "It's nothing new."_

_"Gimme a sec," he told her. He grabbed his duffle bag and put it on his shoulder. He walked over and picked up the trench coat Stephanie had discarded. He tossed it to her and she caught it. "Cover yourself up, and as soon as I leave, get out of here," he instructed her._

_He didn't stick around for her reply. He didn't even look at her again. He just slipped quietly out of the locker room and forced himself to smile at the blonde woman before him._

_"Hey, Shawn, I've mis-" Kimmie began, but she was interrupted when he kissed her hard, He didn't want to hear her talk. Whether Stephanie knew it or not, she had turned him on immensely, so now he had to go take care of that with someone who was legal... He grabbed Kimmie's hand and hurriedly led her out of the arena, intent on getting to the nearest hotel._

_Stephanie made her way out of the men's locker room, wiping her tears away. She caught a glimpse of Shawn and a blonde woman, presumably the one named Kimmie, rounding a corner. He had his arm around her waist. Stephanie bit her lip and another tear rolled down her face. Everything was ruined. He didn't want her at all._

_She was just...a kid._

**End Flashback**

"Steph, you still here with me?" Shawn asked, squeezing her hands.

"Yeah, I'm here," Stephanie replied, shaking her head as if that would help her forget the horrid memories of her bungled seduction.

"So do you remember when that happened?" he persisted.

"I wish I could forget," she said, embarrassed. "And I wish you would, too."

"I don't," he said. "Because since that day when we kissed... I've always wanted to do it again."

"So you waited until _now_ to tell me this? Fourteen years _after_ the fact?" she asked incredulously.

"There was never a good time for me to approach you," he said. "That is, until now."

"What makes now such a good time to approach me?" she demanded.

"You're single now, you know?" he answered. "And Chris is obviously done with you. So now I have a fair chance."

Her mouth dropped open. How dare he suggest that Chris was done with her? She and Chris were _far_ from over! "You know what, Shawn?" she asked, removing her hands from his.

"What?" he asked, looking at her.

She grabbed her drink and stood up. "This date..." She paused, making sure that she had her purse, then continued talking. "Is OVER." And then she threw her drink in his face, sat the glass down on the table, and walked away.

He blinked his eyes repeatedly as she walked away. "Damn it," he muttered, dabbing at his face and his burning eyes with a napkin. He pushed his chair back and stood up. Pulling out his wallet, he pulled out a crisp hundred dollar bill and threw it on the table. He didn't have time to wait for the check, and he knew that would be more than enough to cover for their dinner.

He looked ahead and saw Stephanie leaving the restaurant. Quickly, he took off behind her, following her without her knowledge...

**A/N:** Oh come on, guys. Do you really think Stephanie's going to get over Chris _that_ fast? Or wait... Will she? We'll find out soon...


	5. Three Hurting Hearts

**Chapter 5: Three Hurting Hearts**

"Steph, wait up, will ya?" Shawn called as he hurried out of the restaurant right on Stephanie's heels.

"What now, Shawn?" Stephanie asked, exasperated. She stood on the sidewalk and glared at him disapprovingly. She folded her arms over her chest and waited impatiently for him to start talking.

"I'm sorry for what I said back there," he apologized. "I shouldn't have been so insensitive about your relationship with Chris."

"You're right. You shouldn't have been," she said meanly. She couldn't help the little mean note in her voice. What he'd said had hurt her feelings, and it had stung, mainly because deep down inside she had been wandering that exact same thing. Was it _really_ over between her and Chris? What would she do if she really had to spend the rest of her life without the man she loved?

"I totally deserved it when you threw your drink in my face," he went on. "I mean, I waited so long to tell you how I felt. I don't know why I expected you to be happy about it."

"I don't know, either," she commented. She looked down at her watch. "Since this date is _over_, I'm going to head back to the hotel now."

"Mind if I catch a ride with you?" he asked carefully. "I caught a cab here."

"Fine, but don't try anything funny. Consider yourself warned," she said, walking the short distance over to where her limousine was waiting.

"Don't worry. I know you pack one hell of a mean slap," he replied with a little smile. He followed her over to the limo and insisted on opening the door for her. "After you, Princess."

She rolled her eyes and climbed into the limo. She sat down and he climbed in after her, taking a seat across from her. She thought about his little comment about her having one hell of a mean slap, and she starting laughing.

"Wow. To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, pleasantly surprised by this sudden outburst of sparkling laughter from the Princess.

"I slapped the hell out of Hunter earlier tonight," she said, laughing. "You just reminded me. It was _hilarious_!"

"You slapped Hunter? What did he do?" he asked curiously.

"He kissed my ass," she said simply.

"He _kissed_ your _ass_ and you _slapped_ him for it?" he asked incredulously.

"Well, he was just being _way_ too sarcastic about it," she said, shrugging.

"Ok, explain it to me from the beginning," he said, amused. Stephanie had slapped the hell out of Hunter? Hunter had kissed Stephanie's ass? This _had_ to be an interesting story!

"I stepped out of the elevator on the way to the limo so I could head over to The Gardens..." She went on to tell him everything that had gone down with Hunter in the hotel's lobby. She made sure to recount the whole event in great detail, because she wanted to remember every single detail of how absolutely glorious it had felt to slap the hell out of Hunter...

"You are a mean woman," Shawn laughed when she finished, as the limo rolled to a slow stop. Apparently, they were back at the hotel, so he opened the door and held it, while helping her out at the same time. He closed the door and admired, for what had to be the hundredth time, the way the dress hugged her curves like a second layer of skin. Without a doubt, she was quite a beauty.

"What are you _looking_ at?" Stephanie asked, annoyed when she noticed Shawn staring blankly at her body. Fourteen years ago, Shawn undressing her with his eyes would've made her feel absolutely great. Now, she only felt that great when Chris was the one undressing her with his beautiful blue eyes...

"You. Sorry," he replied, shaking his head to clear his head of the not-so-innocent thoughts he was currently having about her. "So..."

"So I guess this is goodnight," she said. "Goodnight, Shawn."

"At least let me walk you to your room," he pleaded almost pitifully.

"Fine, Shawn, but once again, don't try any funny stuff," she warned him. "Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," he said, offering her his arm. He knew that even though he was starting to get "up there" in age, he was still quite the dashing image in a suit. He knew she wouldn't be able to resist at least holding on to his arm...and he was right.

"Ok," she said, more to herself then to him. She linked her arm through his, then smiled tentatively. _This is just too weird_, she thought. _Too weird_...

Upstairs on the fifth floor of the hotel, Chris was thinking of just how remarkably _weird_ this whole situation was. Here he was, hiding behind some large fake plants at the end of the hallway, waiting, spying. He had been waiting there for nearly an hour, peeking out from between the leaves to see if anyone was coming. He had to know who Stephanie was on a date with. It was killing him. He had to know.

The idea of Stephanie out on a date with a man who wasn't him made him feel like scum. For the past two years, it had always been them going on dates together, going everywhere together. It was like they were attached at the hip, and more than often, attached at the lips. They were THE couple, the WWE's "it" couple. Chris and Stephanie. Stephanie and Chris. You couldn't have one without the other. Everyone was so used to seeing them together. Without her, a part of him was missing. She was his better half. Without her, he was nothing, and he knew it.

Maybe that was why he was hurting so bad.

"You can let my arm go now," came a teasing male voice from around the corner. Chris's ears perked up. He vaguely recognized the voice, but he couldn't put his finger on who it was just yet.

"You jerk. I'll let your arm go when I feel like it," came a sarcastic female voice. "As a matter of fact..." Chris held his breath. It was Stephanie's voice. He could recognize her voice anywhere and anytime.

"Ow!" the male exclaimed. "Do you _have_ to grip it so tight?"

"It's your fault that I broke my heel when we were coming into the lobby," Stephanie said snidely. "I'll grip you as tight as I want to."

"That's what all the women say to me before they throw me against the wall and rape me," the male commented casually.

"Oh shut up, Shawn," Stephanie snapped as she and Shawn rounded the corner, but she couldn't help laughing a little.

Chris gasped silently, putting his hand over his mouth. Stephanie, _his_ Stephanie, had gone on a date with Shawn Michaels. "Wow," he muttered dejectedly, leaning back against the wall. There was no way that he could possibly compete with Shawn Michaels for Stephanie's attention. He knew about Stephanie's history with Shawn, how she'd had a major crush on him when she was younger. He knew it was probably every woman's fantasy to be able to go out with the first guy she'd ever had a crush on and have him return her feelings.

"Is this your room?" Shawn asked, gesturing towards the door they had just stopped in front of.

"Well duh," Stephanie said. "Obviously it's my room if I'm standing in front of it and pulling out my card key."

"You're right," he said, smiling.

"Of course," she said. "I'm always right."

Chris stood there behind the fake plants feeling like he was going to die. He hadn't seen Stephanie since he'd dumped her the previous Friday, and his heart seemed to break all over again as he saw how breathtakingly beautiful she looked in her dress. She was like a goddess with her hair cascading over her shoulders in soft curls. She didn't look like the broken woman Vince said she was. And Shawn... He was wearing a pretty nice suit. Chris hated to admit it, but Shawn and Stephanie actually made a pretty good-looking couple. He swallowed hard and kept watching, feeling like he had been punched in the stomach. Hard.

"Hey, Steph, can I ask you for a little favor?" Shawn asked.

"If it's within reason," Stephanie said. "What do you want?"

"Well, since I was_ so_ nice, letting you hold on to my arm after you oh-so-_gracefully_ broke the heel of your shoe-" he started.

"Once again, that was _your_ fault," she interjected.

"_Anyway_, since I was so nice and gentlemanly tonight, can I..." He looked around quickly, then leaned over and whispered something into her ear, something that Chris couldn't hear, even though he strained his ears.

Stephanie looked down at Shawn's pants, then back up at him. "Do you _have_ to? I mean, can't you wait?"

"I can't hold back anymore," Shawn groaned, putting one hand on her shoulder. "My body can't hold back like yours probably can when the need arises."

"Fine, but just this once," she grumbled, shrugging his hand off her shoulder before turning and opening the door. She stepped inside, then looked back at him. "Well? What are you waiting for? Come on in before somebody sees you!" She grabbed his arm and practically dragged him inside the room.

"Rough, Princess? I never knew it," he said with a loud laugh. "But I think I like it."

And that was the last thing Chris heard before Stephanie's room door closed. He stepped out from behind the artificial plants, unable to believe what he had just seen and heard. He wanted to go kick the door down, drag Shawn out, and kick his ass all over the city. He knew, if the way the two had been talking in the hallway was any indication, that they were probably about to go do something very physical, and it pissed him off. He was supposed to be the only one sleeping with Stephanie, because he was the one who loved her with all his heart. Not stupid, _old_ man-whore Shawn Michaels...

He walked slowly down the hall, stopping in front of Stephanie's door. "Stephy," he whispered, touching the door softly. "I miss you... But you seem like you're finally happy with your old crush, so..." He bit his lip and slowly walked away. This sucked, and it was all Vince McMahon's fault. Vince had made his life miserable for the past few months, and he didn't understand, because Vince had been extremely supportive of his relationship with Stephanie in the beginning. But somewhere in the first year, Vince had changed. His main goal seemed to be for him to do everything in his power to make Chris a miserable man.

Chris could still remember when Vince had approached him with the first assignment. That first assignment had been more complicated than Chris had anticipated, and the consequences had been horrible. Blackmail, that's what Vince had threatened him with, manipulated him with threats. Blackmail. Unless he did more assignments, Stephanie would find out about... It didn't matter. He just couldn't let that come out, and he couldn't let Stephanie find out. Not that way... Not _any_ way... So he had gotten dragged deeper and deeper into Vince's evil plans...

Chris stepped into the elevator and watched Stephanie's closed room door until the elevator doors closed. By the time he reached his floor, located one floor down, he was completely and utterly pissed. By the time he stepped out of the elevator and made his way to his room, only one thing was on his mind... Ok, maybe two: getting revenge on Vince McMahon and getting Stephanie back in the process.

Stephanie sat on the edge of the bed and took her shoes off. "Stupid shoe," she exclaimed, throwing the shoe with the broken heel in some random direction.

"Oh, careful there, Princess," Shawn said, leaning in the doorway of the adjoining bathroom. He bent down and picked up the shoe. "You could've hit me with this, and then I would've had to sue you dearly."

"Whatever. It's not like I don't have the money to pay for it," she said, holding the other shoe. "You're done here, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me come in to use the bathroom. I really couldn't hold it," he said, dropping the shoe and walking over to the bed. He sat down next to her, put his suit jacket down, and grinned impishly. "Who would've ever imagined it would come true? HBK and the Billion Dollar Princess in bed..._together_."

"Cut it out, Shawn," she said seriously. She didn't feel like joking around with him anymore, because now Chris was on her mind again. He was always on her mind, but even more so at night, and especially now because she couldn't have him. And she wanted him. Lord, did she want him!

"Guess that's my cue to leave," he said. He looked at her. "Look, tricking you into this date and then saying that you and Chris were over were both big mistakes on my part. I'm really sorry for hurting your feelings."

"Apology accepted," she said, looking at the shoe in her hands. "I shouldn't have thrown my drink in your face. It's just that I really miss Chris..."

"I get that." He touched her chin, then leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. He stood up. "If I know Chris, he won't be able to stay away from you from you for very long. I don't know how the hell I did." They walked to the door.

"Later, Shawn," she said a minute later as she stood at the door to her room.

"Night, Princess," he said, then walked away feeling heavy-hearted and disappointed.

Stephanie closed the door and looked around. She was alone. No Chris to keep her company like he usually did on Monday nights after Raw. She still hadn't seen him since that previous Friday, and every second that she went without seeing him, she felt like she was missing a piece of herself. She could hardly _breathe _without him, however weird that sounded...

After her shower a bit later, she walked into the bedroom wearing an oversized Y2J "Larger Than Life" shirt. _Oh, and he _is_ larger than life, in more ways than one_, she thought with a smile. Before she knew it, the tears were coming. Thoughts of Chris were bittersweet. She headed over to the bed and noticed, through her tears, that Shawn had forgotten his suit jacket. _I'll give it to him tomorrow at the big meeting_, she said to herself as she slipped into the bed.

She fell asleep with thoughts of Chris on her mind and tears on her pillow...

A floor above her, Shawn fell asleep reliving his first kiss with Stephanie in his mind...

And a floor below her, Chris fell asleep thinking of what Stephanie and Shawn were probably doing in her hotel room and wishing that he was in Shawn's place...

**A/N: Took me forever to finish this chapter, but I'm already halfway done with the next chapter...**


	6. A Meeting And Something More

**Chapter 6: A Meeting And Something More**

Chris stepped into the huge room where the big Raw meeting was scheduled to take place and looked around. Nearly everyone was already there, standing around in small groups and chatting amiably. When he entered the room, some people stopped talking completely and just stared at him, letting him know that he had been the topic of their conversations. All eyes were on him as he walked to the back of the room and plopped down hard on a steel chair. He wondered for a moment if they were looking at him because they were discussing his break-up with Stephanie or because of his attire. _I don't give a fuck_, he thought. He pulled his cap lower on his head, casting his blue eyes into a dark shadow as he slouched down in his chair and waited for the meeting to begin...so it could end.

Stephanie stepped into the meeting room carrying Shawn's suit jacket. She walked up to the front of the room and took her designated seat at her father's side, facing the crowd. She peered discreetly around the room through her shades, searching for the love of her life. She knew people would be wondering why she was wearing dark shades inside a building. _New trend_, she thought, but the real reason was that she had no intention of letting anyone see her red eyes, because then they would know that she had been crying. And she couldn't have that..

Stephanie spotted _him_ sitting-no, slouching-in the back of the room alone. He had a cap on his head, angled low over his eyes. His arms, those beautiful, muscular arms, were folded across his chest. His blonde hair looked like it hadn't been combed or brushed in days, and he obviously hadn't had a good shave in a few days, either. He looked absolutely miserable sitting there by himself. His tangled hair was pulled back and held loosely with a rubber band, and some strands fell loose around his face. Despite the way he looked, she found herself drinking in every single detail about him, his body, his appearance. Four days was really too long to go without seeing Chris...

Shawn stepped into the room and immediately spotted Stephanie sitting up front next to her father, facing everyone. She looked like she was concentrating hard on someone. He looked in the direction she was looking in, although he couldn't be sure because she was wearing some really dark shades. He couldn't possibly imagine why she would be wearing shades inside a building, but he had an idea as he finally spotted who she was most likely staring at in the back of the room. Chris. Of course. He sighed and walked farther into the room, finding a seat in the first row so he could be closer to Stephanie. He knew that she would never look at him the way that she looked at Chris. He had already missed his perfect chance fourteen years ago. But that didn't keep him from wanting to look at her and wanting her to see him the way she had seen him so many years ago.

"I'd like to call this meeting to order," Vince said a couple of minutes later. He was dressed, as usual, in an expensive and impeccably clean new suit, and he was all smiles. He was always all smiles at meetings because he was ruining lives at all hours of the day, and it always made him feel great to know that the next fragile life he would shatter would be the life of someone in that very room.

Chris looked up as Vince started talking. He wanted to go up there and strangle the old bastard with his bare hands until he died from lack of oxygen. He wanted to hurt him physically for all the emotional pain he had forced him to endure, all the emotional pain he was still going through now. He looked next to Vince and saw Stephanie looking in his direction, though he couldn't be sure because she was wearing shades. _She must have been crying_, he thought sadly as he observed her. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't trying to make some kind of fashion statement. He knew that she would tell anyone who asked her why she was wearing them that it was a new trend, perhaps from some exotic place. He looked her over. From what he could see from his seated position way in the back, she was wearing a baby tee and some jeans... Was that a Y2J baby tee? _Nah_, he told himself. _I'm so stupid. It's probably an HBK shirt._

"So it's true, then?" a low female voice asked. The owner of that voice sat down next to him in a chair and gave him the once-over, licking her lips slowly. She liked what she saw.

He glanced next to him, and the first _things_ that greeted him were two large breasts which were stretching the fabric of the tight shirt covering them to new limits. He looked up and nearly groaned out loud. It was Trish Stratus, the one person he could honestly say that he hated as much as he hated Vince.

"What now, Trish?" he asked in a tightly-controlled voice.

"Is it true that you've finally kicked Stephanie's ass to the curb?" she asked gleefully.

"We broke up, yeah. What's it to you, bitch?" he asked rudely.

"Now, now, Chris," she admonished. "Do you really think it would be in your best interest to insult me?"

"Don't know, don't _fucking_ care," he said, rolling his eyes. "But it would be in _your_ best interest to get the hell away from me."

"If you say so, sweetie," she said, reaching over to squeeze his thigh. "But I can recall _one_ time when you didn't turn me away. Remember?"

"Get away from me, bitch," he said angrily. He couldn't believe she was bringing this up in public, and even _after_ he'd broken up with Stephanie. She wasn't keeping her end of the deal. What the hell? Hadn't she and Vince both gotten what they had wanted from him already? She didn't move her hand, which was still gently squeezing his thigh and slowly moving up higher. "Get away from me," he repeated, pushing her hand away. "I am _not_ obligated to even _sit _near you now that the shit has hit the fan."

"Mmmm, Sexy, it's not over yet," she purred. She licked her lips slowly. "I think, with Vince's approval, of course, that I'll be seeing you later this week sometime. After all, it's been way too long since we got together."

"Fuck you," he said shortly.

"You will," she countered, then got up and went to sit next to someone else.

He sighed and looked back down at his hands. Trish Stratus was the bitch that Vince McMahon had used to get his dirt on him. Those two were the people responsible for making him miserable, and for him making Stephanie miserable. _But after last night with Shawn, maybe Stephy's not so miserable anymore_, he thought bitterly, and then he looked at Vince again. He was going to make that bastard and his right-hand bitch Trish pay.

And _payback _was going to be a bitch.

Stephanie clenched her jaw tightly as she looked at Trish Stratus, who was now sitting next to Kane. Why had she just been sitting next to Chris, flirting with him? Chris had gotten angry and pushed her away, it seemed. That part made Stephanie feel a little better. She was proud of the fact that he had resisted Trish's charms. Not many men could. But it ticked her off that he _had_ to resist Trish's advances in the first place. How dare she try to come on to him when he was obviously not really single? She looked over at Trish again, who was currently twirling strands of her blonde hair around her finger and smiling seductively at Kane. _What a bitch_, she thought. _I hate her._

The meeting lasted for a little over an hour, and besides the whole "Trish" factor, Stephanie was happy about it. She didn't want it to end because, well, this was the only time she was able to really see Chris. This was the only time she could watch him and observe him and just take in every little detail about him. She didn't like to see him looking so sad and miserable, but compared to not seeing him at all... Well, there was really no comparison there. She would take what she could get.

"If there are no further questions...this meeting is adjourned," Vince declared.

Everyone got up to leave. Stephanie got up, holding Shawn's jacket, and walked over to him. "Hey, Shawn," she said, giving him a half smile.

"Hey there, beautiful," Shawn replied, smiling at her. He smiled because she smiled, and her smile made her even more gorgeous than she normally was. "What's up?"

Chris stood up, intent on working up enough courage to go talk to Stephanie. He wanted just to hear her voice, that beautiful yet sometimes screechy voice that haunted his thoughts and plagued his dreams. He put his hands in his pockets and headed slowly over to where Stephanie was standing with Shawn. He got there just in time to hear her say something that he really didn't want to hear, because it confirmed his worst fears about the previous night.

"You left your jacket on my bed last night," Stephanie said, handing Shawn his jacket.

"I realized that when I got to my room, but I didn't want to come back and possibly wake you up," Shawn said, taking the jacket from her. "Thanks."

Neither one of them noticed Chris standing just a foot away. They just kept talking, oblivious to the fact that they had a visitor.

"No problem," Stephanie said, in response to Shawn's comment. "Just don't do it again, because next time I won't give it to you."

"You know you liked it," Shawn teased.

"Wow, Stephy, you're over me that fast? Unbelievable," Chris said in a voice he barely recognized. He sounded weak and wounded...because his heart was wounded. What would he do if Stephanie had slept with Shawn the night before? It looked like he was about to find out...

"Over you? Chris..." Stephanie couldn't believe he was there, barely a foot away, actually talking to her. He didn't exactly sound like himself, though. He sounded like he was hurting. Could it be possible that he was hurting because of _her_? Because she was talking with Shawn? "Chris, what are you talking about?"

"Ah, just forget it," Chris said, scowling. Then he walked right out of the room without a backward glance.

"What the hell was that all about?" Stephanie asked Shawn, staring after him.

"I'd say he was jealous," Shawn observed. He didn't want to tell her this, but he decided to do it anyway. He wanted her to be happy, and it was plain to see that she wouldn't settle for anyone less than Chris. She compared every man to Chris, and none of them measured up to him, none at all. None of them could even attempt to take his place... "You should go after him," he said finally.

"Really? You think?" she asked, biting her lips nervously.

"Yeah," he said. He didn't want her to go, but he didn't really have any choice in the matter. She wanted Chris, and that was painfully obvious. He gave her a light shove towards the door. "Go."

"Thanks, Shawn," she said, smiling at him. Then she hurried out of the room after Chris.

"You're welcome, Princess," Shawn said softly, watching her go, but she wasn't listening anymore.

"Chris, wait!" Stephanie called as she stepped out of the room and spotted him. She saw him pause for a minute at the sound of her voice, then start walking even faster. He was practically running, trying to run from her, but she wasn't going to let him get away that easily... So she followed him as he hurried down the hall and turned a corner.

She hurried around the corner and collided with a warm, solid body: Chris, standing there, waiting for her with his arms folded across his chest. He didn't look very happy, not at _all_.

"Chris," she whispered, steadying herself as she stood in front of him. She felt totally weak in the knees as she stared up into his beautiful blue eyes, those eyes that used to hold so much love for her. Looking into his eyes, she thought she could still see the love for her in them, but maybe she was just imagining it...

"Isn't your lover boy waiting back there for you?" Chris asked.

"Who's my lover boy?" she asked, immediately confused.

"Shawn Michaels," he said bitterly.

"Shawn? You're kidding me," she said with a little laugh. "Shawn is _so_ not my type, and he's definitely _not_ my lover boy."

"Right, I get it. He's just your _lover_, no boy attached, huh?" he spat. She opened her mouth to speak but he kept talking. "I saw it last night. I saw it when you came back from your date with your precious Shawn. You let him into your hotel room, Stephy! What were you thinking?"

"He came in last night to use my bathroom. It doesn't mean anything," she said softly, finally understanding why Chris had been so mad.

"Your bathroom?" he asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he couldn't hold it," she told him. Then she raised her eyebrow as another thought came to her. "And how do you know about that anyway?"

"I was there," he commented quietly. "Your dad told me you that you had a date with someone, and it wasn't me. I was hurt, I was depressed."

"Why?" she asked. "Why should you be hurt? You're the one who said you didn't want me anymore."

He sighed. "That's true. I said it, and I meant it," he lied. He felt better that she and Shawn weren't together and hadn't slept together, but now he felt bad that he had to lie about the way he felt... Or did he have to lie? Could he tell her?

"Wow, that's a really nice thing to say," she said sarcastically. "Really nice."

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "I'm just naturally a really nice kind of guy, right?"

"You know, I don't think I ever really knew you," she said, sudden tears springing to her eyes. "Because if I had known the _real_ you when we were together, I doubt we would've lasted so long." She looked away from him, embarrassed, as the tears starting making their way down her face.

"Stephy...don't cry," he said softly, putting his hand up to her face even though he knew he shouldn't. "You _did_ know the real me. But I'm someone else now."

"Don't touch me," she said angrily, slapping his hand away. She craved his touch more than anything, but this wasn't the Chris she knew... "As a matter of fact, just don't even talk to me anymore. You...made it clear that you don't want me anymore so what's the point?"

"Can't we be friends?" he asked pitifully.

"Friends? Ha!" she scoffed. "You break my heart and then you want to be _friends_?" He nodded. "I don't think so." She turned her back on him and started walking away. It was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, walk away from the love of her life. But she had to, because it seemed like there was really _no chance_ of them reconciling, _no chance at all_.

He watched her walking away before he made his decision. _Screw Vince McMahon. I'll tell her myself_, he thought. He walked behind her and grabbed her arm, whirling her around to face him.

"What are you _doing_?" she asked, frowning at him. She was pleasantly surprised when he put his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"Stephy, I miss you. It's only been, like, four days and I just can't _live_ without you," he whispered, right before he kissed her. He kissed her with everything he had in him. He had missed this so much, having her in his arms. Sure, it had only been a few days, but it had felt like a _lifetime_ to him.

"God, Chris, I missed you, too," she whispered when he pulled away. "But I don't understand. What... Why did you break up with me in the first place?"

He looked into her inquiring eyes and bit his lips. He needed to tell her everything...

It was now or never. "It was your dad..."

**A/N: I'm sorry, guys! I know this chapter kind of jumps around a bit. I didn't plan for this to happen, but I just couldn't keep Chris and Stephanie apart! It was _killing_ me! Now I don't know where this story's going, but maybe I'll figure it out soon...**


	7. Together Again

**Chapter 7: Together Again**

Stephanie looked at Chris without speaking. She felt... She didn't know what she felt. She had just asked Chris why he had broken up with her in the first place, and he had placed the blame on her father. Her sweet, loving, dependable father. She desperately wanted to believe Chris. She wanted to believe that he had been forced to dump her, forced to break her heart, but at the same time she couldn't believe him. There was just no way that her father could've purposely caused her so much heartache.

"Stephy?" Chris asked after waiting for her to say something, to say _anything_. She had been silent ever since he had told her the real reason why he had broken up with her. She only looked at him, not saying a word, and he was starting to worry about her. Was she in shock or something? "Stephy?" he said again, this time a little louder. "Say something. Say anything."

Silence.

"I don't believe you," she said finally. "I do _not_ believe you."

"I know it's hard for you to believe, to understand, but I'm telling you the truth," he said in a pleading tone. "You have to believe me. I never wanted to break up with you, sweetheart. Your dad made me."

"My dad had nothing to do with your decision to break up with me, and I'm appalled that you would say something like that," she said, holding her chin up. "My father is a _good_ man. Don't drag his name through the dirt just because you did something that you're not proud of now."

"Your father is the reason," he said, reaching for her hand. He held her hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Your father is the reason," he repeated.

"Why? Why are you lying to me?" she asked in an anguished voice. He looked so sincere, though, and it scared her, knowing that he could quite possibly be telling the truth about her father, about the whole situation. But she didn't understand. If he was telling the truth, that meant that her father had betrayed her, and she just wasn't ready to accept something of that magnitude.

"I swear to you, I'm not lying," he said sincerely, reaching up to take off the shades that were still on her face. He looked directly into her eyes. "I would never lie to you about something like this. You know me."

"I thought I knew you," she said softly. "But that changed last Friday night, and I don't know you anymore."

"Look me in the eyes and see if I'm lying," he challenged her. She gazed into his eyes and he looked into hers. "Your father is the reason why I broke up with you last Friday night. The only reason."

She looked into his eyes as he spoke, and she knew that he was telling her the truth. But she couldn't accept that. She didn't want to accept the fact that her father had been the one to ruin her life and break her heart this way... She felt the tears building up in her eyes, and she reached for the shades that Chris was holding.

"You don't need these right now," he said in a low voice, pulling her to him. "You just need me to hold you right now...just like this."

He always knew what she needed, and she did need him to hold her close... She felt like her whole world had just been turned upside down again. There were no doubts in her mind now that her father had been the one to initiate her breakup with Chris...

"Why did you listen to him when he told you to break up with me?" she whispered to him. His body tensed, and she felt it. She pulled back a little and looked at his face. The expression on his face was one she'd never seen before. "Chris? What's wrong?"

"I don't want to tell you why I listened to your father, not yet," he said quickly. "I'll tell you tonight... But for now, babe, why don't you just let me take care of you?"

"I want to know," she said. "I want you to tell me right now, or I'll go ask him myself."

"No, no, no, you can't do that!" he exclaimed. "It's complicated. Look, meet me in my hotel room tonight and I'll tell you everything, ok? Everything."

"Do you promise?" she asked him, searching his face.

"On my life," he told her. He looked at his watch. "Damn it, I have a meeting with your dad about this new storyline in, like, ten minutes."

"That's funny," she said thoughtfully. "_I_ have a meeting with him in ten minutes, too. He said something about wanting me to get back onscreen again." She looked up, eyes wide. "You don't think-"

"That he could be thinking of putting us into a storyline together?" he finished. "That would be interesting."

"But why would he do that when he's obviously the one who drove us apart?" she wondered. "And he knows how I feel about you..."

"Your dad is obsessed with hurting you and making you think he's the one who knows what's best for you," he said. "Right now, he thinks you're hurting, that you're heartbroken over me, so putting us in a storyline together would make us have to be around each other, and that-"

"Would force me to see you, knowing that I can't have you anymore, knowing that you don't want me anymore," she finished. She frowned. "Damn, he really does want to hurt me."

"You and I both know that I still want you, Stephy," he said, pressing his lips to hers. "God, I do...want you so much..."

"And I want you, too," she said, kissing him back, clinging to him. She had missed this with him... She hadn't seen him for a whole week before the Friday he had broken up with her, and today was the first day she had seen him since Friday, so yes, she wanted him. She definitely wanted him. "More than I ever have, if that's possible..."

"It's possible. I know, because I can feel it, and I feel the same way," he whispered, pulling away and putting a little space between them. "But your father can't know about this, about us. When we go to that meeting, you have to pretend that you don't know _anything_."

"That's going to be difficult. It's going to be so hard not to smile at you from across the table and everything," she said with a sigh, stepping closer to him and laying her head on his shoulder. "Knowing that you never wanted to break up with me... Knowing that you want me back..."

"I never stopped wanting you, baby," he said, reveling in the heat of her body pressed against his. "But we can't let your dad know that _you_ know that."

"At least, not yet," she agreed. "Because I'm thinking that I want some revenge for this crap."

"Revenge?" he repeated, letting her go and raising an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're already planning something."

"Why not? We deserve it," she said. "I mean, he made me believe that you never loved me..." She looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to start falling. "I actually believed you when you told me that."

"I wish you hadn't believed it... I love you more than any woman I've ever loved, and don't ever think otherwise," he said softly, gently touching her cheek. "It broke my heart to lie and tell you that I didn't, because I do. I _love_ you."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

"So we're back together now?" he asked her hopefully.

"Definitely," she said. "Because I never wanted us to be apart in the first place."

"Neither did I," he said. They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments, and then he looked at his watch again. "Ok, baby, I have to go see your dad now... You come in a few minutes after me. And remember... He can't know that we're back together now."

"Ok." She watched him as he started to walk away. Before she knew it, she reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned around, about to ask her what was wrong, when she kissed him hard. When she pulled back, her breathing was ragged. He looked at her questioningly, and she touched his lips. "What can I say? It's been too long..." She licked her lips and smiled at him. "Now don't you have a meeting to get to?"

He grinned at her. "It's good to have you back, Stephy."

"Same to you, Chrissy," she said, watching him walk away. "Same to you..."

When he was out of her sight, he couldn't stop smiling. She still wanted him, and they were back together. And she knew the truth...well, part of it, anyway. Now, the only other thing he had to do was get through the night. If Stephanie would stay with him even after she found out the whole truth... If she would stick with him after that, then their relationship could truly survive anything...

Stephanie leaned against the wall and thought about Chris, and a smile appeared on her face. He loved her and he wanted her...They were back together again... And then she thought about her father, and she frowned. She couldn't believe that he would actually force Chris to break up with her... She couldn't believe that he had pretended to comfort her the day before, when really, inside he was probably happier than he'd ever been.

"Father or not, his ass is going to pay," she vowed.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter's so short. I'm glad I finally updated it, though. And now they're _really_ back together... But will their relationship last after Chris tells Stephanie why he listened to Vince and dumped her?**


	8. The New Storyline

**Chapter 8: The New Storyline**

Chris stood outside of Vince McMahon's office, biting his lip. He dreaded going into that office. It was the office of a man who cared only about making people miserable, including his very own daughter. Sure, every man wants his daughter to look up to him and see him as a paragon of virtue, but to trample on her heart in the process? Simply put, that wasn't cool. It wasn't cool at all. Chris knew that he needed to go inside the office, as much as he didn't want to, but first he had to prepare himself. The previous day, he had been the equivalent of a brooding, broken man. In Vince's opinion, he had looked like shit. Things had changed since then, but Vince didn't need to know that. He didn't need to know that Stephanie knew the real reason they had broken up. Most of all, though, he didn't need to know that Chris was happy. He couldn't just come in there smiling, or Vince would be suspicious...

Chris knocked on the door to the office.

"Come in!" Vince called from inside.

Chris opened the door and walked inside. He walked over to the desk and stood in front of it with his arms folded across his chest. "What did you want me to come here for?" he asked, trying to sound angry and depressed. It wasn't that hard to slip into that role for him, when he thought of all the crap Vince had made him go through, all the tears he'd made Stephanie cry...

"Stephanie is going to be here soon," Vince said, leaning back in his chair and putting his hands behind his head. He saw the anguished look on the younger man's face when he mentioned his daughter's name, and he smiled before going on. "And then we can discuss this new storyline I came up with."

Chris sat down in a chair in front of Vince's desk and scowled at the older man. "So what's this new storyline about? Am I going to be in it with Stephanie?"

"Oh, most definitely. It'll be one of those romantic storylines that you seem to love so much," Vince answered, grinning. "It'll be like old times, huh? Like the days _before_ you dumped my daughter..."

"Only because you forced me to dump her," Chris snapped angrily. "You know I wanted to marry her..."

"You should be glad that I made you break up with her before you proposed, then," Vince replied, sounding proud of himself. "It would've hurt ten times worse if you two had been newlyweds on your honeymoon or something."

"It still hurts, Vince. I'm hurting, and I know she's hurting because she has no idea what's going on," Chris said, deciding to play this game to the highest level. If he could make Vince believe that Stephanie still had no clue what had really happened, then maybe after he told her everything, they could plan that revenge she had been talking about.

"And she never _will _know, unless you want her to find out about that night with Trish..." Vince's voice trailed off and he smirked, knowing (or thinking) that he had the upper hand in this whole situation.

Chris looked down at the floor. It had been over a year since that night he had shared with Trish, and Vince was still holding it over his head. If it hadn't been for that one night with Trish, he never would've had to break up with Stephanie in the first place. Vince wouldn't have had any dirt on him at all... But there was that night, and what had happened had all been caught on tape. Therefore, Chris was at Vince's mercy...at least, until he was able to convince Stephanie that he had been totally inebriated and it had been a setup by her own father... But he would worry about that later, when he met up with Stephanie to tell her the entire story.

Just then, there was a timid knock on the door of the office. "That must be Stephanie. Chris, you remember that I have dirt on you," Vince said. "You are supposed to pretend that you never liked her and that it was all a big game for you. Got it?" Chris grudgingly nodded, and Vince smiled. "Come in!" he called.

Stephanie took a deep breath and erased the smile that had been on her face. When she was sure that she looked like the heartbroken woman her father had supposedly "comforted" on the day before, she stepped slowly into the room. "Hi Daddy," she said in a low voice. She looked over and saw Chris and stopped in her tracks. "Chris," she breathed, walking over to him. "Are you here to take me back?"

For a second, Chris wanted to say yes, but then he remembered that he was already back with her. He looked over at Vince, who had an expectant look on his face, then looked back at Stephanie. "Take you back?" he scoffed. "And why would I take you back, huh?"

"Because you love me," Stephanie whispered, stealing a glance over at her father. He was clearly eating this up, and it pissed her off. Who did he think he was, interfering in her personal relationship with the man she loved more than life itself? Obviously, he didn't know who he was messing with, but she was going to teach him, in due time, that he shouldn't play with fire...

"Look, Stephy, honey, I don't want to embarrass you in front of your dad, but if you insist..." Chris's voice trailed off, and he laughed before he continued. "I only stayed with you these two years because you're a good lay... And your dad is my boss. I mean, the perks that came with being in a relationship with you were just _fab-u-lous­_!" He heard Vince snicker and he knew that he was falling for it, hook, line, and sinker. He looked at the older man. "Vince, I don't mean to be rude, but can we get on with this meeting? I have a hot date tonight, and I want to get sexy for my lady, you know?"

Vince tried hard not to smile when he saw his daughter's face crumple, but he couldn't, and he ducked his head down for a minute. When he was confident that his face held a more serious expression, he looked back up. "Well, Steph, you heard the man. Why don't you have a seat so we can get this over with? _Chris_ here has a hot _date_ tonight...with a _lady_." _And it's not YOU,_ he added mentally.

_Rub it in, Daddy_, Stephanie thought, sitting in the chair next to Chris's. _Rub it in, because the lady he has a date with tonight is ME, you old bastard!_ She forced herself to keep looking gloomy, though, as she wondered what the real reason was that Chris had broken up with her. She knew that it had something to do with her dad, and knowing him, it was probably something really bad. She tried to overlook his faults, she really did, but it was impossible because he had so many! She didn't know why or how her mom put up with him for so many years...

"You're both probably wondering why I asked you both to come here," Vince began. "Steph, you've been wanting to get back on TV in front of the fans for a long time, and Chris, I think you need to be elevated to main event status again. I think a romantic storyline between the two of you would kill two birds with one stone..." His voice trailed off as he added, under his breath, "Hell, it would kill three birds with one stone._ Four_, even..."

"Daddy! He _dumped_ me, ok! Why would you put me in a storyline with him? A romantic one at that?" Stephanie asked, trying to react in the way she knew her father wanted her to react. "I don't think I can do this..."

"Oh, it should be easy as pie, Vince. You're brilliant!" Chris exclaimed, clapping his hands lightly. "I mean, I spent two years _pretending_ that I felt romantic feelings for her, so it should be really easy for me to go through with this storyline. When do we start?"

"You don't really mean that, do you, Chris?" Stephanie asked in a small voice, looking at him. He caught her eyes and nodded slowly, then winked slightly so she would know that he was just acting. She'd already known that, though. She looked away, putting her hands up to her face. "Daddy... I don't know if I can go through with this... It's going to be so painful." _And now it's time to turn on the waterworks_, she thought, and seconds later, tears were running down her face.

_Those acting lessons we took together last summer are really paying off_, Chris thought, holding back the smile that threatened to appear on his face. "Oh, suck it up, Steph! I thought you were _tough!_" he exclaimed, then looked at Vince. "Geez, Vince, I don't know how I put up with this constant crying for two whole years," he said.

Vince gave Chris a thumbs up as Stephanie started sobbing loudly. "Calm down, Stephanie. Did I teach you to be dependent on any man besides me?" he asked. She shook her head no, and he went on. "This storyline could be fun for you... Hell, maybe you could somehow try to persuade this stubborn man to get back with you or something. Who knows?"

"That's not going to happen," Chris said matter-of-factly. "I've moved on to bigger and better things... Or should I say, smaller yet more experienced women?" He grinned widely at Vince, and Vince returned his grin. He wanted to slap the grin off the old bastard's face, but he knew he couldn't do that or there would be a huge lawsuit coming his way. _At least Stephanie's not really believing this shit_, he thought. _Because then I'd feel even more horrible than I felt when I broke up with her last Friday_...

Stephanie wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. "Ok," she said in a shaky voice. "I'll go through with this storyline...but only because I'm a good sport, and I really want to get back on TV."

"Good. Now, as you both know, there's a big pay-per-view coming up this Sunday night," Vince said. They both nodded, and he went on. "I was thinking, since you have that match against Kurt Angle, Chris, that there could be a point where you're about to get pinned, and then Steph would run in and distract the referee. This would allow you to cheat, maybe hit Angle with a steel chair or something, and then you could pick up the win. Steph, you would just walk up the ramp and come backstage without even looking back at him, but you could have that smug look on your face, that look you always get when everything goes just the way you planned it."

_Oh, you mean the smug look I'm going to get after Chris and I get our revenge on you? Sure, I can do that_, Stephanie thought. "Yes," she said softly. "I suppose I can do that."

"And what? I'm supposed to thank her or something?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows.

"After you win, you're going to, like, lean against the ropes and look after her," Vince explained. "You know, and make that 'confused' look you make when you run your fingers through your hair..."

"And what happens after that?" Stephanie asked curiously.

Vince laid two scripts on the desk and pointed at them. "You two can read the scripts to find out what happens next," he said. "We're going to cut this meeting short, because I know _someone_ has a hot date tonight." He looked pointedly at Chris, then at his daughter so he could see the effects his words had on her.

_Both of us have a hot date tonight...with each other_, Chris thought. He reached for one of the scripts, and at the same time, Stephanie reached for one as well. Their hands touched, and he could feel the familiar tingle run down his spine as he felt her. He quickly grabbed a script and pulled away, because he knew that if he didn't, he'd pull her into his arms and never let her go... _Tonight, after I explain everything, if she stays with me, I'm going to make love to her all night long. I'm going to make up for lost time..._

"Can I go now, please?" Stephanie asked, looking at her father. "I can't be in here with _him_ right now... I just can't."

"Sure, you can go," Vince said. As Stephanie and Chris both stood up to leave, he spoke again. "Oh, Chris, one moment, please."

"Fine," Chris said with a sigh, sitting back down. "But make it snappy, please. I have a date, remember?"

"Yes, yes, I'll make it quick. I just need a word with you," Vince said. He watched his daughter leave, then turned back to Chris, who was once again scowling. "You played that role perfectly, Chris, perfectly. How the hell did you think of all that stuff to say?"

"Hell if I know," Chris muttered, looking away. He sighed. "But you know I love her, Vince. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to pretend that I don't."

"You'll pretend if you know what's good for you," Vince said, narrowing his eyes. "Do you really want her to find out what you did with Trish Stratus?"

"No, I don't," Chris answered, standing up. "If I really wanted her to know, I would've told her when it first happened, you assclown!"

"Don't get loud with me!" Vince shouted, standing up. "I can easily call Stephanie back in here and pop this tape in the VCR, and then we could all watch it. See how much she'd _really _love you after seeing all that shit you did with Trish that night..."

"What, do you fucking carry that tape around with you everywhere you go?" Chris asked. "God, you're so fucking perverted."

"That, I am," Vince said with a laugh. "And no, I don't carry the original tape around with me everywhere... I have many, many copies of it, though, and it's always fun to watch... It really gets me in the mood to see Trish riding the life out of-"

"You're a prick," Chris interrupted, heading for the door. "A real prick."

"I know, but remember this, Jericho," Vince said, using his last name. Chris looked over at him, and he went on. "I may be a prick, but I'm your fucking boss, and I control your _life_."

"That's what you think," Chris muttered, and he walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Then he leaned against the door and closed his eyes, plagued and disturbed by memories of that night with Trish... _I'll never drink again_, he vowed. _Never again in life_...

"I waited for you," Stephanie said in a soft voice from behind Chris as he leaned against the door.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "You were awesome in there," he commented.

"Of course I was awesome, and so were you," she replied, smiling at him. "Daddy won't know what hit him when we get our revenge on him."

"God, your father is horrible..." His voice trailed off as he looked away for a minute. He had to tell her the whole story as soon as possible. He'd held this secret for a year, and it was time for him to let it out. "What do you say we get out of here and head back to my hotel room?"

"Yes, let's do that," she agreed as they started walking down the hallway together. "And then you can tell me the whole story about why you did what my dad told you to do...and dumped me."

"Yeah, I'm going to tell you everything," he said in a low voice. "But I want you to promise me that you won't leave me when I tell you everything..."

"I'd never leave you," she whispered. She looked around, then stopped walking and pulled him to her. "I can't live without you, Chris..." She kissed him softly, then pulled back and touched his lips. "Whatever you tell me... If it pisses me off, I'm going to direct all that anger towards my dad... He's the one behind it all, right?"

"Him and Trish Stratus," he replied. She looked oddly at him when he mentioned Trish's name, and he shook his head. "Come on... I'll tell you everything at the hotel..."

They walked together to the end of the hall, and then she spoke. "You know, we shouldn't be seen together right now. Everyone knows that we broke up, and if we're seen together, it might get back to my dad and he'll figure out that we're back together," Stephanie said logically. "So..."

"You're absolutely right," Chris replied, smiling at her. "But what am I saying, babe? You're always right."

"So I'll meet you at your hotel room in about thirty minutes?" she asked.

"That'll be fine," he agreed. "Me and you...in my hotel room... I can't wait." _But telling you this secret of mine... I wish I didn't have to_, he added mentally.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he whispered back. "I'll see you soon..."

They gazed at each other for a few more moments, and then they both went their separate ways...

**A/N: I was feeling inspired, and this chapter is the result of that! I know it's been a while, but I'm hoping you guys still like this story... In the next chapter, we'll find out what kind of "dirt" Vince has on Chris... Curious? I am!**


	9. The Whole Story

**Chapter 9: The Whole Story**

"Where _is_ she?" Chris wondered aloud as he nervously paced through his hotel room. It was nearly an hour after he and Stephanie had gone their separate ways back at the arena, and she still hadn't arrived at his hotel room. He wanted to call her cell phone and ask her what was taking her so long, but he didn't know if her dad had called her back into his office. Their whole plan could be blown if Vince saw Chris's name appear on Stephanie's caller ID on her cell phone... So Chris decided to just wait it out, pacing through the hotel room, getting more anxious by the second.

Stephanie crept silently down the hallway on Chris's floor, hoping that none of the other WWE superstars had a room on this floor. She didn't need to be seen by anyone, at least, not now. She made it to his room and knocked lightly. Almost immediately, the door opened, and she was practically dragged inside.

"Damn, baby, you're a little rough tonight," Stephanie commented, rubbing her arm where Chris had pulled her inside the room. She watched him as he closed the door and leaned against it.

"I'm sorry," Chris said as he leaned against the door and looked at her. "I didn't mean to be so rough with you... I'm just so on edge tonight, you know?"

"This must be pretty bad, then," she said, closing the distance between them and putting her arms around him. She looked into his eyes. "Wanna tell me all about it now?"

"Yeah...but just let me kiss you first," he said in a low voice, and then he kissed her. It was a hungry kiss, filled with the passion that he had been forced to keep inside for days, this passion that was just begging to be released. He switched their positions and pushed her against the door as he kissed her, and she was eager to kiss him back, eager because she had that same passion inside of her as well. He broke the kiss and leaned down a little, running his tongue over a sensitive spot on her neck, then sucking lightly on it. He could feel himself losing control, but the feeling was normal. She always made him feel like this when he got her alone...

"Chris...I want you so much," she whispered breathlessly, tangling her fingers in his hair. "Why don't we just talk _after_ we...make up?"

He pulled away almost immediately. "No, we have to talk first," he said, wanting nothing more than to kiss her again, then carry her to the bed. He knew that he would have to tell her this secret he'd been holding before he could do anything else with her, or else he would feel even more guilty, even though he didn't know how that would be possible. He took her hand and led her over to the couch, and he sat down, pleading with his eyes for her to do the same thing.

"Can't it wait? I'm so _ready_ for you, Chris," she said in a low, throaty voice, pushing him back on the couch and straddling his lap. She leaned forward and kissed him again. It had been too long for her, way too long. She could barely go a day without being with him, let alone two. Counting the week she hadn't seen him before they broke up and then the days afterwards... That was almost two whole weeks! She didn't know how she could survive another minute without having him, and she didn't know how he had the restraint to even think about talking...

"Wait, I have to tell you the whole story," he said, breaking the kiss. "Let me tell you the whole story and then we can do this."

"Just tell me the abridged version for now," she murmured against his neck as she ran her hands over his muscular chest and underneath his shirt. How she had missed feeling him this way...

He didn't know where to start, and the way she was touching him and kissing him was distracting him from the story he had to tell._ So she wants the abridged version of the story?_ he thought, closing his eyes. All he wanted to do was give in to her soft caresses, to just take her to the bedroom and... No, now wasn't the time. He had to tell her. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes again. "A year ago, I slept with Trish Stratus."

"You did _what_?" She sat up on his lap and looked at him in disbelief. "I don't think I heard you clearly... Run that by me one more time."

"I said, a year ago, I slept with Trish Stratus," he repeated, biting his lip. He didn't know what her reaction would be, as she sat there with a stunned look on her face, but he knew she was going to be pissed. A minute later, he knew she was really pissed when she slapped him across the face as hard as she could.

"How could you?" she asked, tears already in her eyes. "How could you sleep with that tramp?"

"It was your dad," he said meekly, one hand rubbing his already stinging face. "It was a setup, and your dad was behind it all."

"How the hell? Are you going to tell me that he made you fuck that little blonde whore?" she demanded, folding her arms across her chest. She was still sitting straddled across his lap, and the tears were still in her eyes, but she was trying her hardest not to let them fall, and he could see that.

"She wasn't blonde that night. She was a brunette," he said, still rubbing his stinging face. "Your dad got me drunk, and Trish was wearing this brown wig, and I thought she was you..."

"What a way to the kill the mood... You thought Trish was me? I'm insulted," she said, finally getting up. She paced back and forth across the room, deep in thought, before turning to him with fire burning in her eyes. "Tell me the whole story right now, Chris, and don't leave one detail out. I want to know _everything_," she said finally. She sat down next to him. "Tell me."

"This is what happened..."

**Flashback: 1 Year Ago**

"Chris, glad you could make it," Vince said, looking up as his daughter's boyfriend approached the table. Chris Jericho was one of his best employees, but as his daughter's boyfriend, he was nothing but the proverbial thorn in his side. That was why Vince had devised a completely devious plan so he could gain the upper hand in this war... If things went his way, and he was confident that they would... He was going to _own_ Chris Jericho before the night was over.

"No problem, Mr. McMahon," Chris said, sitting down at the table. He looked around him. "So where's Stephanie?"

"She had some last-minute work to do back at the office," Vince said, smiling. _More like some last-minute work that I made sure she had_, he added mentally. _Piles and piles of paperwork that should keep her busy for the next few days, actually..._

"Oh, so she's back at the office?" Chris asked, his spirits dropping a little when the older man nodded. He stood up. "Well I don't think I could have fun knowing that she's stuck in an office up to her elbows in work... I think I'll go and surprise her."

_Go and surprise her? That wasn't a part of the damn plan!_ Vince thought frantically. "Uh, sit back down, Jericho. She'll be here in a little while," he lied. "It's just some last-minute work, so it shouldn't take too long for her to finish."

"Um, ok," Chris said, reluctantly sitting back down. He had the weirdest feeling all of a sudden, and he didn't want to be alone with his boss. _Especially not in a place like this_, he thought, scanning the room. They were in a club with loud, blaring music, flashing neon lights, and gyrating bodies everywhere. "Why'd you want us to meet here anyway?" he asked his boss curiously. "This doesn't seem like your type of place, Mr. McMahon."

"You've been dating Stephanie for about a year now," Vince said, giving him a wide smile. "I think it's about time you start calling me Vince."

"Ok, Vince," Chris said, trying to read the expression on the older man's face. He was smiling pretty big, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and that made Chris even more uncomfortable. "You never answered my question before. Why are we meeting here, where you're so obviously out of place?" If he thought about it, it wasn't really his type of place anymore either. Before Stephanie, he had loved places like this, but now that he was in a meaningful relationship with her, he was more content in quaint little coffee shops... Basically, any place where he could be close to his woman... He smiled a little at the thought of her.

Vince observed the younger man sitting across from him and frowned when he saw the smile on his face. What the hell was he smiling about? _Probably Stephanie_, he thought, smiling to himself. _He loves her...but after tonight... We'll see if it lasts_. "The reason I wanted to come here is because I knew that a lot of young people would be here. It kind of makes me feel young again, you know?" _Yes, I'll play the age card. It's a plausible reason for wanting to come here._

"Yeah, I guess," Chris said with a sigh. He looked over in the direction of the entrance, then down at his watch. "So when's Stephy getting here again?"

_As soon as I get you drunk_, Vince thought, but he refrained from saying that aloud. "She'll be here soon enough, but we might have to wait for a while." He grinned at the younger man. "How about you order a drink...my treat?"

"A drink? I don't know, Vince," Chris said skeptically. "Once I get started, it's difficult for me to stop, and to be honest, I don't hold alcohol very well."

_And I was counting on that_, Vince thought with a smile. "Oh, what harm can one drink do?" he asked. "I'd be offended if my daughter's _future husband _refused a drink from me." He was a very persuasive man, and he knew just the things to say to get the younger man to agree with what he had suggested...

"Your daughter's future husband. That has a nice ring to it, eh?" Chris asked with a smile, looking away. The thought of marrying Stephanie was a very appealing thought to him, because he felt like he'd been loving her forever. Why not make it official? He didn't plan to propose anytime soon, but someday in the future he would. He looked back at his boss. "You're right, future father-in-law," he joked. "What harm can one drink do?"

"I knew you'd see things my way," Vince said in a low voice. He rubbed his hands together gleefully. Phase one of his plan was already in action...

_**One hour and countless drinks later...**_

"How are you feeling?" Vince asked, studying the younger man carefully. He seemed drunk, but Vince wasn't sure if he was really drunk or not.

"Like hell. I want my woman," Chris said in a slurred voice, slamming his hand down on the small table. He glared at the older man sitting across from him. "Where in the hell is my baby? You said she'd be here soon and soon was a long ass time ago!"

"She should be here soon," Vince promised again. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to go call her right now and tell her to just wrap it up. She can just finish her work tomorrow."

"Yeah, you go call her, Vance, and tell her sexy ass to hightail it over here," Chris ordered. "Tell her that I want her."

"Oh, you'll get her," Vince promised, pulling out his cell phone as he got to his feet. "I'll be right back."

"Don't keep me waiting, Vance," Chris called after him as he downed another drink. It seemed like every time his cup was empty, a full one appeared. Oh, but he wasn't going to complain. He would just keep drinking.

"It's _Vince_!" Vince called back.

"Vince, Vance, like it fucking matters," Chris muttered, looking over at the entrance again. He couldn't wait until Stephanie arrived. He needed her...

Trish Stratus sat a block away from away from the club, waiting impatiently in her car. "That old man needs to hurry up and call me!" she said aloud, frustrated. When Vince had approached her and pitched his idea to her the previous week, she had immediately agreed to be a part of it. She had many reasons to go along with it, the main reason being the fact that she was insanely jealous of Stephanie. Stephanie had it all. She had the money and the man, both of which Trish wanted. By going along with this plan, she would be killing two birds with one stone... And really, what sane woman would pass up a night with Chris Jericho, even if he was going to be drunk?

Just then, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the display, and when she saw Vince's number appear on the screen, she hurriedly answered the phone. "Is it time?" she asked excitedly.

"He's completely drunk. Are you ready?" Vince asked.

"I was ready last year," she said with a smirk.

"Remember what I told you. If this goes off as planned, you're going to get paid richly for your services."

"You make me sound like a whore."

"Let's be honest," he said with a laugh. "You're about to have sex with someone else's boyfriend. You _are_ a whore."

"True," she laughed. "But ok, I have to go..."

"Good luck," he said in a serious tone.

"With a body like this, I don't need luck," she said, and she closed her cell phone. She looked in the mirror and adjusted her long brown wig. She checked her makeup and her contacts, then made sure her clothes looked ok. "I look more like Stephanie than _she _does," she said happily. "Now let the games begin..."

"Vance, you said she'd _be_ here," Chris said, glaring at his boss. At least, he thought it was his boss. All he could really see sitting across from him was a blurry figure that vaguely resembled his boss, so he presumed that was him. He was too drunk to really tell.

"She's on her way," Vince said. "And for the last time, it's _Vince_."

"I don't fucking care," Chris said, standing up. "I'm going to get my woman."

"Where are you going, baby? I'm right here," Trish said from behind him, wrapping her arms around his midsection from behind. She rested her head against his back and breathed in his scent. Oh, he smelled heavenly, well besides the smell of the alcohol he had consumed. But that was no turn-off for her. She _still_ wanted him.

"Stephy... Have you always been this short?" Chris asked suspiciously as he turned around. He knew he was a bit drunk, but he still noticed that she seemed shorter than usual.

"Oh, baby, have you been drinking?" Trish asked, trying her hardest to sound like Stephanie.

"Yeah, I've had a few drinks," Chris admitted. "Uh, a lot of drinks."

"Let's go back to the hotel and..." Her voice trailed off as she leaned up to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"What about your dad?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Daddy won't mind, will you?" she asked, looking behind Chris over at Vince.

"I'm actually about to leave, Princess," Vince said, standing up. "You two lovebirds go have fun."

"Oh, we will," Trish said, winking at Vince. She took Chris's hand and started to lead him out of the hotel. "Come on, baby... Let's get to the hotel."

"Ok," Chris agreed, following Trish out of the club. _Something's different about her_, he thought, frowning slightly. _But I don't know what it is..._

That thought stayed with him the entire time as they walked across the street to the hotel. He didn't remember ever checking into this hotel, but he guessed that maybe he was just too drunk to remember. He followed her into the elevator, and as she kissed him, he still felt like something was different. And when they finally made it into the hotel room and she was naked, he _knew _something was different.

"Um, were your breasts always this big?" Chris asked as he looked at the woman standing before him.

"Yeah, baby," Trish answered right away. "You know I got implants... You made fun of them, remember?"

"I guess, but these look horrible," he said honestly. "I mean, look at them. They look like balloons. Aren't you ever scared that they'll pop or-"

"Shhh," she whispered, blushing. She hoped he didn't noticed how embarrassed she was. She calmed herself down, then leaned up to kiss him. "I need you, Chris..."

"I need you, too, Stephanie," he whispered back, and then he kissed her back...

_**The Next Morning**_

"Morning, baby," Trish said, running her hand over Chris's chest. He was lying on his side, and she was lying behind him, leaning on his shoulder. "Did you have fun last night?"

"Let's just say you weren't as great as you usually are," Chris replied, rubbing his forehead. His head was pounding. He felt something kind of hairy against his back, and he reached behind him. "Honey, are you growing chest hair?" he asked, pulling the hair. He was surprised when he found out that it was a brown wig. "What the hell is this? A wig?"

"Ok, now you've figured me out," Trish said with a little laugh.

Chris said up and looked at the woman next to him. The _naked_ woman next to him. This woman wasn't Stephanie. "Trish Stratus? What the fuck are you doing here, and _where_ is Stephanie?"

"Who knows? Who cares?" she asked, shrugging. "You spent the night with me. Wanna see the tape?"

"What tape?" he asked, aghast.

"This one," Vince McMahon said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Let's watch."

Chris could only sit there with his mouth open wide as he watched this tape. "You set me up!" he yelled at Vince. "What the hell is that all about?"

"I'll tell you at our meeting later on today," Vince said, ejecting the tape. He held the tape out to Chris, grinning. "Want it?"

"Destroy it," Chris ordered.

"Sure, I'll destroy it," Vince said. "But I have more copies, so it won't make a difference."

Chris got up, grabbed his clothes, and went into the bathroom to get dressed. He was in a state of shock. "What the hell was I thinking?" he asked himself aloud. He could remember everything that had happened. How could he have not noticed that the woman he was doing _wasn't_ Stephanie? He shook his head and hurried out of the bathroom, only to be greeted with a horrendous sight: Trish, naked, on top of Vince. "You people are freaks!" he exclaimed, shaking his head as he headed for the door.

"Last night, so were you," Vince said, grinning.

"And we have proof," Trish moaned. "So are you going to watch us, or are you going to join in?"

"Oh God," Chris whispered, practically running out of the room. Once out of the room, he leaned against the closed door and closed his eyes. "Stephanie... She's going to kill me..."

**End Flashback**

"And that's what happened," he finished, looking at her. He couldn't quite decipher the look on her face, because her face seemed to display a huge array of different emotions. "Stephy... Please believe me when I tell you that I never would've slept with Trish intentionally... I honestly believed she was you."

"So that's the whole story, so to speak," she said in a calm voice, a faraway look in her eyes.

"Yeah, that's it," he answered, waiting for her to explode and slap him again. "And I regret it, I regret it so much... You know how I feel about you, Stephy, and you know I'd never intentionally hurt you..."

"Too bad my dad doesn't share those sentiments," she said in a sad voice. "I can't believe he would set you up like that. Ooh, and that bitch Trish!"

"I didn't know how to tell you before," he said, looking away. "I thought you were going to break up with me... Your dad's been holding that over my head for a whole year now." When she got up and started pacing in front of him again, he didn't know what to say. "Are you going to break up with me now?" he asked quietly, praying that she would say no.

"Stupid son of a bitch!" she exclaimed.

"Stephy, I was drunk," he said in a pleading voice. "Yeah, I guess I was stupid, but-"

"Not _you_, Chris, my dad!" she said angrily, sitting down next to him again. "I can't believe he did that to you! To _us_!"

"Oh," he said, surprised. He relaxed a little. "I couldn't believe it, either."

"I'm pissed off now," she said honestly, looking at him. "I'm pissed at my dad, I'm pissed at that little blonde whore, and I'm pissed at _you_."

"But I didn't even know what was going on," he protested. "How can you blame me for this?"

"Relax, I'm not blaming you for anything. I'm just pissed that you didn't tell me before," she said, taking his hands. "I want us to have an honest relationship. I want you to be able to tell me anything and everything."

"So you're not breaking up with me?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course not," she said, smiling a little at him. "I'd never be able to go on without you, Chris." She leaned over and kissed him. "But you're going to make it up to me, aren't you?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"All night long," he promised, leaning over to kiss her.

She held him back for a moment. "And then tomorrow, you're going to help me plan some revenge?" He nodded, leaning even closer. "Then it's settled," she said, pulling him closer to her, until their lips were a mere inch away.

"I love you, Stephanie," he whispered, kissing her softly. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," she replied honestly, running her fingers through his hair. "And I wouldn't have it any other way..."

**A/N:** **Long chapter, I know. Hope it wasn't too boring for you guys, but at least now you all know what Vince has been using to blackmail Chris...**


	10. The Question

**Chapter 10: The Question**

"Who would've ever imagined that I, Stephanie McMahon, would be sneaking out of _your_ hotel room at five in the morning?" Stephanie asked Chris as he walked her to the door.

"We've done a lot of things we never imagined we'd do," Chris reminded her, squeezing her hand lightly in his. He smirked at her. "And you know what kinds of things I'm talking about."

"Yes, I _do_ know," she said, turning to look at him once they reached the door. "We've done a lot of crazy things with each other..._to_ each other..." Her voice trailed off and she put her arms around him and leaned close, placing an open-mouthed kiss on his neck.

"Stephy... Save it for this weekend," he whispered, gently pulling away from her. It wasn't easy for him to do, since he didn't really want to make her stop. He just knew that if he let her kiss him, he'd never let her leave his room... But they had appearances to keep up for her dad, and he would do _anything_ to get back at that old bastard...

"I can't wait until this weekend to be with you again!" she exclaimed, sounding distraught at the very idea. "Today is only Wednesday, after all. I went without you for almost two whole weeks, and I don't think I can't do it again for three days."

"You _do_ have a point there," he said, nodding. He looked away, a pensive look on his face, then looked back at her. "I'm planning on going home today to my place in Florida, since Sunday's pay-per-view is nearby. Why don't you come along with me?"

"Spending the rest of the week at your place sounds appealing...but I'm sure Daddy will be wondering where the hell I'm at," she said logically. "You know how he loves to keep tabs on me and everything."

"Just... Oh, I have it! Just tell him you're coming to my house and we're going over the script," he suggested. "And make sure you tell him just how much torture it'll be just to be around me and everything."

"You have such a devious mind," she said proudly, hugging him.

"Devious? And this is coming from the devil princess herself?" he scoffed, hugging her back.

"Devil princess, huh?" she laughed, pulling back. "But in all seriousness, Chris, I just don't know... Why don't you come to _my_ place instead?"

"And be in the same city as your dad when I don't have to be? Stephy, you must be going crazy," he said. He put one hand on her forehead to take her temperature. "Do you have a fever or something?"

"Maybe we'll have to play doctor to find out," she said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Here, I'll go get the anal probe..."

"None of that," he said quickly, shaking his head.

"Relax. I was kidding..."

They talked for a bit longer, deciding where they would be spending the rest of the week before the big pay-per-view. After reaching a mutual decision, they shared a kiss...ok, a _few_ kisses...and then she was gone with a promise to see him the next day...

Chris caught a flight to Florida and went to his Tampa home, and when he walked in the door, he vaguely wondered how he would occupy his time until Stephanie arrived. He was happy that she had finally agreed to come to his place instead of it being the other way around. When she wasn't with him, he felt so lost, so alone. It was like his happiness depended on whether he was with her or not. He knew it wasn't good to depend on her so much, but he couldn't help it. He loved her so much, and if they were to really break up someday, he wasn't sure how he would ever be able to go on...

He took his luggage upstairs and began to unpack. It didn't take him very long to unpack since he was so used to doing it. Practically half of his life was spent on the road, so he was accustomed to it all. He was done unpacking faster than he'd expected to be, though, and he found himself still not knowing what to do with all of his free time before Stephanie was set to arrive the next day.

His stomach growled a little and he looked at the clock. It was just barely six in the evening. "Guess I could order a pizza," he said to himself. He walked over and picked up the phone, then dialed the number for the nearest pizza place. He ordered a large supreme pizza, then sat down to wait. That's all he seemed to be doing lately, just waiting. Waiting to find out if Stephanie would leave him when she found out what had happened, but that wait was over. Waiting to figure out what kind of revenge Stephanie would plan for her father and Trish. Waiting for Stephanie to arrive so he could be with her. Waiting for the right time to pop the question...

The pizza came a few minutes later, and he tipped the pizza delivery guy twenty dollars and sent him on his way. He ate a few slices of pizza, then went and took a shower. He watched TV for a while, but that made him even more bored, so he tried reading a book. When that didn't work, he decided to just give up and go to bed. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was only ten o'clock, but he figured the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner Stephanie would be there. And that was all he really wanted. He looked forward to spending the rest of the week with her before the big pay-per-view. It had been entirely too long since they could spend some really quality time together without him having to feel guilty about the night he'd spent with Trish... He looked at the ever-present picture of himself and Stephanie that was framed next to his bed, then closed his eyes and dozed off...

Around 11:30 that night, Stephanie slipped quietly into the house and shut the door. She hoped that Chris hadn't put the alarm on. She had stayed behind at the arena to talk to her dad and play the part of the heartbroken daughter for a few more hours before she had decided to go to the hotel. Once back at the hotel, she'd thought about Chris and about how much time they'd already spent apart, and a few minutes later she'd found herself at the airport. Luckily, she had found a ticket to where she needed to be, and now here she was in Tampa, hoping that she would be able to surprise Chris.

"Pretty dark in here," she muttered, making sure the door was locked before making her way through the house and up the stairs. She turned on a light in the hallway right outside of the master bedroom and opened the door, and there he was, asleep. _God, he's beautiful_, she thought, a smile coming to her lips as she looked at him. She observed him for a brief moment, thinking that he was one of the most gorgeous men she'd ever seen, and then she stepped into the room. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, reaching up to gently touch his face. "Chris," she whispered.

Chris stirred after a moment and opened his eyes a bit, looking up at Stephanie. "Am I dreaming?" he asked, looking at her through sleepy eyes. "Or are you really here?"

"I'm really here, sweetheart," she replied, running a finger over his lips. "If you want solid proof, touch me."

He sat up and touched her, then smiled. "Yeah, that's my Stephy," he said with a little laugh. He rubbed his eyes a little, trying to fully wake up. "How'd you manage to get here tonight?"

"It was easy. I thought about you and the fact that you would be here all alone in this bed tonight, and somehow I sprouted wings and flew here," she joked. "It was so amazing!"

"No really," he persisted, reaching over to touch her again. "I thought your dad would've had you on lockdown by now."

"Yeah right," she scoffed. "After what you told me about him last night..." Her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "My father is an asshole. A real asshole."

"I agree," he said, nodding his head. "Have you been thinking about this revenge that you mentioned yesterday?"

"I had a few hours on the plane to think about it, and I think I have an inkling of an idea of how we could go about getting revenge on them both," she said, an evil smile on her face. Her smiled turned genuine as she looked into his eyes again. "But I'd rather talk about that in the morning. I have something else in mind for you and me tonight..."

"And what would that be?" he asked, although he already knew what she was talking about. He watched her as she stood up and started undressing. "Oh, so _this _is what's on your mind, huh?"

She pulled her shirt over her head and smiled at him, leaning back over the bed and kissing him softly. "You know what's on my mind, Chris... You're always the one on my mind..."

"You're always on my mind, too," he said, pulling her closer. "I can't believe I didn't just tell you when it first happened... Then I never would've had to go along with your father's stupid plan..."

"Let's not talk about my father tonight," she whispered. "I want tonight to be about us... I want you tonight, Chris..."

"And I want you tonight, too," he whispered back, touching her face. "I want you tonight and every night for the rest of our lives..."

They shared a knowing look, and then no other words were spoken as he pulled her into his arms and her body melted against his...

_**The Next Day...**_

Stephanie woke up the next morning and glanced over at the clock next to the bed. It was already past noon, getting close to three, and she was just getting up. She had a reason for that, though, since she and Chris hadn't really gotten to sleep until 5 in the morning. They'd had a long night, to say the very least. But she'd slept for a long, long time, and maybe another reason for that was because of the fact that she hadn't slept much at all in the past week. "I guess we really wore each other out, huh?" she asked Chris, yawning a little. When he didn't reply, she looked turned over in the bed, reaching for him, only to find that he wasn't there.

She got up and walked over to the closet to get her robe, then went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a quick shower. Afterwards, she padded barefoot through the house, looking for him. She knew his house as well as she knew her own, but she didn't find him anywhere. However, she did find what seemed like a letter on the refrigerator door. Upon scanning it, she decided that it was more like a note than a letter, though, and she sat down on a bar stool to read it.

_Dear Stephy,_

_You looked so beautiful sleeping there that I decided to leave without waking you up. I know how much you hate it when you wake up and I'm not next to you, and believe me, I didn't want to leave you there alone, but there's been something on my mind for quite some time and last night I came to a decision. I can't tell you what's on my mind right now, but by the end of today you'll know... I should be back in a couple of hours. As I write this, it's about noon, and I'm pretty sure that it's about three or four in the afternoon now that you're reading this... I'll be back soon..._

_I love you..._

_Chris_

"I see you got my note," Chris said, and she looked up sharply and noticed him leaning in the doorway. He was wearing some jeans and a brown shirt that showcased all of his muscles, and he was smiling at her.

She got up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Where'd you go?" she asked curiously.

"I had some business to take care of," he said vaguely, putting his arms around her.

"I gathered that much," she said with a little smirk. "But _where _did you go?"

"See, I would tell you," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "But that would ruin the surprise."

"Ooh, there's a surprise?" she asked happily, and he nodded. She put both her hands beneath his shirt and ran them slowly over his muscular chest, then looked at him, licking her lips. "Is it a surprise for me?"

"Actually, yes, it is," he answered, biting his lip. "But I can't tell you what it is right now, or else it wouldn't be much of a surprise anymore."

She pulled his shirt over his head, then pressed a soft kiss to his chest. She trailed kisses from his chest to his neck, stopping at his ear. "What do I have to do to get you to tell me what this little surprise is?" she purred into his ear, reaching behind him to lightly trace the muscles in his back.

"Come on, Steph, this isn't fair," he said, shivering a little as she touched him. "You know I can't resist your touch."

"Yes, I know that," she said, running her tongue along the edge of his earlobe. "So why don't you just go ahead and tell me?"

"Sorry, no can do," he said, pulling away from her. "You'll find out later on tonight, and you'll love it...I hope."

"Just tell me," she said, pouting a little and looking at him with sad eyes.

"That might work on someone else, but remember, I took those acting classes with you last summer. I know you well," he said with a little laugh. He grabbed his shirt from her and pulled it back on, then walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, wondering what they should eat. He didn't know why he was looking in the refrigerator, though. It wasn't like they were going to be eating there, anyway, with the plan he had...

"Damn it, you _do_ know me," she said, pretending to be a little angry, but she wasn't. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind, leaning against him. "Yeah, you know me well, but I honestly wouldn't have it any other way."

"Neither would I," he said, turning around to look at her. "Now why don't you go upstairs and get dressed so we can go...somewhere?"

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

"I can't tell you," he said, brushing her hair back out of her face. "But I'll tell you this. _Don't_ wear heels, because you will truly regret it."

"No heels... Are we doing something that involves nature?" she asked knowingly.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"I didn't. You just told me," she said, smirking. She turned and headed out of the kitchen, pausing to look back at him from the doorway. She smirked again at the look of surprise on his face. "What? I've learned a few things from you, Mr. Jericho. I've learned a lot of things from you..."

"I'm sure you have," he said, smiling at her as she walked away, going to get dressed. He added, with a little smile, "I'm sure you've learned a lot, soon-to-be Mrs. McMahon-Jericho..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the diamond engagement ring that he had purchased for her earlier in the day. It was absolutely stunning, just like the woman he had purchased it for. _She'll love it_, he thought with a little smile. _I'm sure of it..._

Two hours later, they were finally ready to go. "Took you long enough," he grumbled when she walked down the stairs.

"But you love the end product, don't you?" she asked, spinning around slowly in front of him so that he could see how great she looked from all angles. "I look good, don't I?"

"Your jeans..." His voice trailed off as he looked at the tight jeans she was wearing. "God, you're so hot..."

"Hey, you're not so bad yourself," she teased, winking at him.

He looked at the clock on the wall, surprised that it said that it was five o'clock. "Have you eaten anything yet?" he asked.

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "No, I can't say that I have," she said after a minute. "No wonder my stomach's grumbling."

"You know, I planned on us having a little picnic today, but it's a little late to do that now," he said. "What do you say we go grab a bite to eat somewhere and then go to the beach?"

"Are we going to get in the water?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"If you want to," he said with a shrug.

"I don't want to."

"Then we don't have to... Let's just go."

_**Later That Night**_

"I can't believe it took us this long to get to the beach," Chris said as he and Stephanie walked down the beach together. It was already nine o'clock, and he had planned on them getting there by at least seven.

"We're here now, though," Stephanie said, linking her arm with his. "And we went shopping, too. I mean, that's what I call a fun day!"

_It's not so fun for me. I'm just nervous as hell now_, he thought, biting his lip at the thought of what he would be doing soon. The extra time they'd spent shopping had just made him sweat more, wondering if he'd have enough courage to actually propose to her... Wondering if she'd accept his proposal or turn him down...

"You ok, honey?" she asked after they had walked for a few minutes in silence.

"Yeah, just a little nervous," he said. Before she could ask him why he was nervous, he stopped walking. "This looks like a good spot. What do you think?"

"Sure," she agreed, looking at him. "Why are you so nervous?" she asked as he began to spread their blanket out on the sand.

"There's something I have to do tonight, and I'm not so sure how to go about doing it," he admitted, sitting down on the blanket and pulling her down next to him. "But I'm going to do it, and I'll just hope that it turns out well."

"What are you talking about?" she asked curiously. "And what's this surprise you told me you had for me?"

"I have it," he assured her. "I'm just a little nervous right now..."

"Don't be nervous, Chris," she said, leaning over to kiss him lightly on the cheek. "You're perfect at everything you set out to do, and whatever you're going to do tonight won't be any different. You'll be perfect."

"And I think that just gave me the confidence that I needed," he said, taking a deep breath. He took her hand. "Here, stand up, I have a question for you."

She looked at him quizzically, but stood up nonetheless, and he stood up as well. "Something wrong?" she asked him, suddenly nervous and for no apparent reason.

"No, Stephanie. Everything's absolutely perfect with us, and it has been that way for a long time," he began, touching her face lightly. "We've been through a lot together these past few years. We've had our ups and downs, from the time we spent supposedly disliking each other and taunting each other to the time when we finally got together and fell in love. You've made me so happy, Stephy, and I've realized that I need you. I need you so much, and I want to be with you... I didn't know if you'd stay with me even after I broke up with you last week and after I confessed about that night..."

"That night wasn't your fault, baby," she interrupted, one hand touching his face.

"I know, but I still felt guilty for keeping it from you for a whole year. Now that you've decided to stay with me, I've realized that our relationship can truly withstand anything. You're it for me, Stephy, you're all I want. That's why I've asked you here with me tonight..." His voice trailed off as he got down in front of her on one knee and pulled out the ring that had been burning a hole in his pocket all day. Her eyes widened as she saw the ring, and she looked into his eyes again. He took a deep breath and went on. "Will you... Will you be mine, Stephanie? Will you marry me?"

"Yes, Chris," she answered, without hesitation. "Yes, I'll marry you."

He smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger, then stood up and pulled her into his arms. "I honestly thought you might've said no," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"How could I ever say no to you?" she asked, right before she kissed him. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. "You've made me so happy, Chris. I can't wait to tell everyone..."

He pulled back and looked at her, biting his lip. "How are we going to tell your dad?" he asked. "If we tell him... If we tell _anyone_, he'll do everything in his power to break us up."

"You're right," she said, frowning a little. "We can't tell anyone yet... How much does that suck? Tonight's the happiest night of my life, and now I can't even tell anyone."

"Ah, Stephy, don't worry about it. They'll all find out soon enough," he assured her. He looked down at the blanket, then looked around. "This place is pretty deserted... The stars are shining above us, the waves are crashing against the shore... Let me make love to you right here..."

"You sure know how to get me in a better mood," she said with a little giggle.

"What can I say? That's my goal in life," he said with a smile, and then he pulled her down onto the blanket with him and covered her body with his...

**A/N: So I finally updated this story... I didn't quite know where to end this chapter and so much was happening, but I think I finally figured it out.**


	11. A New Plan

**Chapter 11: A New Plan**

"You know, baby, we can't stay in bed forever," Chris said, one arm wrapped firmly around Stephanie. Stephanie, whose head had been resting on Chris's chest, lifted her head up and looked up into his eyes, her own eyes dark.

"Being with you forever sounds good, though," she replied. She kissed him lightly on his chest, then moved up his body and attached her lips to the spot he liked on his neck.

"Forever does sound good to me, as long as it's with you," he whispered to her, closing his eyes. "But baby, it seems like we've been in bed ever since I proposed to you the other night..."

"Don't you like celebrating our engagement?" she murmured against his neck, her tongue darting out to taste his skin.

"Don't get me wrong, I love it," he admitted, pulling away and forcing her to look into his eyes. "I love celebrating our engagement. I love worshipping your gorgeous body, feeling you writhe beneath me as I-"

"If you're planning on getting me out of this bed any time in the next week, stop with the detailed descriptions," she interrupted him. She leaned a little closer, a smile forming on her lips. "But if you're trying to get me all worked up, then continue."

He smiled back at her, bringing his hand up to gently caress her face. "Ok, I'll put it this way... As much as I enjoy it when we're making love, we have other priorities as well. Revenge on the bastard and the skank, that's top priority, right, baby?"

"You know, if you wanted to turn me off, you could've done it without mentioning those two," she said, a look of disgust appearing on her flawless face at the thought of Trish and her father. She sat up, pulling the covers up to cover herself from the chest down, but he caught the edge of the covers in his hand before she could do it.

"No, don't cover those up," he said, looking at her rather large surgically enhanced breasts and licking his lips slowly. "I have plans for those..."

"What about that whole talk you just gave me about other priorities?" she asked as she saw the lustful gleam in his startling blue eyes.

"I just changed my mind," he said with a shrug. "We'll get to the other stuff in a few hours..."

"Hours?" she repeated, a little smirk appearing on her face.

"Hours," he confirmed, leaning closer to her and eyeing her chest. "This might take a while..."

_**A Few Hours Later**_

"Ok, baby, so where do we start?" Chris asked, sitting down on a bar stool. He and Stephanie had stayed in bed for hours, just as he had predicted. Now, a short nap and an exciting shower later, the two were sitting across from each other at the island in the center of the kitchen, getting ready to plan what Chris believed to be some very deserving punishment for Vince and Trish.

"We're going to brainstorm first," Stephanie answered, adjusting her glasses and picking up a pen. "Got any ideas yet?"

"No, not really," he said, watching her hand as she started doodling their names on the paper that they were supposed to be using for brainstorming. "Although, I wouldn't mind if we, you know, made them just disappear off the face of the earth. We could just...kill them off and rid ourselves of the problem forever. We'd be doing the rest of the world a favor."

"Chrissy, we're not going to be murderers," she said, shaking her head in disapproval. "Besides, he's my dad, and despite all the crap he's put you and me through, some small part of my heart still loves him."

"And I truly love that part of you," he said, reaching over to take her smaller hand in his larger one. "You're so forgiving, despite what certain...people...have done to you. I think you're one of the most forgiving people I know, and I can't help but love you that much more for it."

"Don't make me get all teary-eyed," she said with a laugh. "How can I come up with some kickass revenge when your words are making me melt?"

"You multitask. You're good at that," he replied, squeezing her hand reassuringly. "And... I just love you, Stephy. I just felt like I needed to say it again, like I can't say it enough."

"I love you, too," she whispered softly. She stared over into his eyes for a few moments, wondering how she would ever be able to survive if he'd really broken up with her. He was her joy... Without him, she felt like she would cease to exist. She couldn't be without him, and she loved him so much that it scared her. She tore her eyes away from his and gently pulled her hand away. She picked up her pen and began scribbling furiously on her paper.

"Looks like you got an idea," he commented, watching her write.

"My love for you inspired me," she said cheekily, writing a bit more, then pausing to look up at him. "You just made me realize the only way we could possibly hurt my father."

"And how is that?" he wondered curiously.

"We have to hit him where it hurts, damage his pride, belittle him," she said, beginning to scribble again. "You and I, Chris... We have the distinct advantage of being on the inside, so to speak. You're his right hand man all of a sudden, just because he thinks you broke my heart, and I'm his little princess, so he'd never suspect us to do anything like what I have planned."

"What exactly is your plan, baby?" he asked.

"We're going to destroy the company from the inside," she said shortly.

"That's going to hurt a lot of innocent people," he pointed out. "We need to zero in on the two that made our lives hell, starting with the blonde skank and then moving on to your dad."

"Ok, so... We start with _Trash_," she said, writing something on her paper. She tapped her pen thoughtfully against her chin, then looked at him. "I just had the most amazing idea, Chris."

"What is it, and do I really want to know?" he asked, taking notice of the wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Didn't Trish and Christian date for a while?" she asked him, still tapping her pen lightly against her chin. "Like, weren't they a serious couple for a while, all hot and heavy?"

"Yeah, and she screwed him over," he answered with a scowl. "She cheated on him with a number of random guys, and it really broke him up... I mean, he was ready to propose to her and everything, and then she pulled that shiesty ass move on him..."

"She's the queen of everything shiesty," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Sounds like Christian would like some revenge on Trish, too... Sounds like he deserves some, actually."

"Yeah, he does," he replied. "So what do you have in mind?"

"I say we invite Christian over first, then come up with something so great, it'll turn Trish's entire world upside down. I already have an idea, but we'll see... So what do you say?" She rubbed her hands together in anticipation of adding a third person to their scheming and grinned deviously at him.

He got up from his stool and walked around to her. Turning her around on the bar stool, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her lightly on the nose. "I say... I think you're an evil genius... Let's do it."

_**Thirty Minutes Later**_

Chris opened the front door to his house and was face to face with one of his best friends, Christian. He could barely recognize him, though. He looked... Well, he didn't look like he did when he was on TNA programming as the champion. For lack of better words, he looked wiped out. Tired. Depressed. Angry. And Chris could see all of this just by looking into his friend's eyes.

Chris could identify with those feelings. He could remember the pain he'd felt after breaking up with Stephanie per her father's request, and he could recognize that same pain in Christian.

Christian stood there quietly, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Finally, after enduring what he deemed to be almost unbearable scrutiny from Chris, he licked his lips and spoke. "Yo, man, you going to make me stay out here or are you going to invite me in?"

"Baby, where are your manners?" Stephanie whispered into Chris's ear as she walked up behind him. She moved to stand next to him and smiled at Christian. "Christian, come on in. I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Hey, Steph," Christian said, a genuine smile coming across his lips as he looked at her. He stepped inside the house and followed her into the kitchen while Chris locked the front door. "Yeah, I haven't seen much of you, either, ever since I 'jumped ship' and went over to TNA..."

"And now I want you to jump back aboard _my_ ship," Stephanie said, getting straight to the point as she sat down on the bar stool across from Christian that she had been occupying earlier. Chris, who had taken a seat next to her, looked at her with wide eyes, as did Christian, but she kept her gaze firmly on Christian. "What do you say?"

"No offense to you, Stephanie, but I'm happy in TNA," Christian said, after getting over the initial shock of her proposal. "I mean, your dad is an asshole, and there's just no way I would go back over to WWE. There's no reason for-"

"Trish slept with Chris," Stephanie interrupted, speaking quietly and keeping her eyes on Christian's. "My dad got Chris drunk, Trish pretended to be me, and then she screwed _my_ man...and my dad got it on tape."

"What? When did this happen?" Christian demanded, glaring at Chris. "And why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"I only just found out a few days ago myself," Stephanie put in. "It's not Chris's fault, though."

"Vince told me not to tell anyone," Chris said, to answer Christian's question. "I wanted to tell Stephy and I wanted to tell you, but there were so many consequences..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head, his eyes fixed on a random spot on the wall. "My biggest mistake was ever trusting Vince."

"Just like my biggest mistake was ever falling in love with Trish," Christian said quietly. "She's still hurting me and we're not even together anymore..." He paused for a minute, then looked at Stephanie. "What do you need me to do?"

"Yeah, baby, what do you need him to do? Because I'm still very much in the dark about this whole plan of yours," Chris put in, sticking his lower lip out and pouting. "And I'm supposed to be the first to know."

"Well, baby, you know how Daddy doesn't want us to be together?" Stephanie began, looking at Chris, who nodded. "Well, I was thinking, suppose I start hanging out with Christian backstage at shows? Like, we become inseparable, like we're the best of friends..."

"What about me?" Chris demanded.

"Baby, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're supposed to hate me now, right? And my dad knows that you're 'hurting' over out whole breakup," Stephanie explained. "So me hanging out with Christian will make you hurt even more, because it'll seem like I'm over our breakup. You'll hurt so much to the point where you really do start to hate me. Get where I'm going?"

"No, because I could never really hate you," Chris replied immediately, leaning over to kiss her softly. "I love you so much that it hurts to even _think_ about pretending to hate you again."

"I get where you're going, Steph," Christian cut in, interrupting their intimate moment. He couldn't bear to watch those two kissing, not after what he'd just learned about Trish. He'd think about that later, though. "From what you've told me, Vince wants to keep you and Chris apart, right?"

"Right," Stephanie confirmed, glad that at least one of them understood the beginnings of the plan she'd devised. "So Daddy wants Chris and me apart because he knows that without Chris, I'm week and vulnerable, and I come to him for support. I'm totally dependent on Daddy without Chris, and that's what Daddy wants... But, if he sees me getting close to you and becoming more rebellious than I've ever been in the past with Chris, he'll start to think twice about what he did. If he sees that Chris is actually beginning to hate me, and that I'm over Chris, he'll try to push the two of us together again. Plus, the fact that you're in TNA but you're backstage with me will just eat away at him until he goes nuts, because you'll be with me and there's no way he can kick you out..."

"I think I'm beginning to understand now," Chris said. "You and Christian will appear to get closer while you and I begin to go back to our old ways of despising each other. Vince will see this and begin to push us back together, and then what? We tell him we're engaged?"

"Engaged?" Christian exclaimed. "You mean, you two are going to get married?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I should've told you that. Chris proposed to me earlier this week, and I accepted," Stephanie said, gazing adoringly at Chris, who gazed right back at her.

"What else could you have said? You love me too much to say no," Chris said cockily, kissing her on the cheek.

"You're right. I can never say no to you, not in the bedroom," she replied in a whisper, but Christian still heard.

"So, guys? How's this whole plan supposed to affect Trish?" Christian spoke in a low tone, but they both heard him and recognized the sadness in his tone.

"It's going to make her incredibly jealous," Stephanie said gleefully. "I mean, Chris won't want her and I'll have you, Christian... Maybe this'll make her realize what kind of man she gave away when she left you..."

"Maybe she'll want you back," Chris suggested.

"I won't take her back, though. I'll just hurt her the way that she hurt me," Christian replied, looking away. "So when does this plan start?"

"Got anything planned for tomorrow?" Stephanie asked. "Any big TNA events?"

"Nope, none at all," Christian answered, looking over at her.

"Then come to the show with me tomorrow... Chris and I will be arriving separately since we just broke up and all...or so everyone thinks," Stephanie said, getting up from her bar stool. "You can be the one to comfort me in these...trying times."

"Ok," Christian replied, biting his lip. "I'll be here tomorrow... We'll get this thing rolling."

"Great. I'm going to go upstairs and give you two some time to talk," Stephanie said to Chris. She kissed him lightly, then headed out of the kitchen, stopping to pause in the doorway and look back. "Oh yeah, and Christian? Thanks."

Chris watched Stephanie disappear from the room, then turned to Christian, feeling awkward. "Look, I don't know where to begin, but it was never supposed to happen," he began.

"But it happened," Christian pointed out.

"Vince got me so drunk that I didn't know what I was doing. Do you think I would've done something like that to Stephy? To you? No, I didn't want to, because I don't betray the people that I love," Chris said, standing up. "So you can forgive me now or don't forgive me at all."

"It's hard to picture the woman I love sleeping with my best friend, but I know it wasn't your fault," Christian said, standing up and walking around to Chris. "Besides, I'm not even with her anymore... So yeah, let's just forget about it." He held out his hand, which Chris readily shook. "I'm going to get going, though, because I have to get ready for tomorrow. Stephanie and I will be getting a hell of a lot of strange looks backstage tomorrow..."

"That's for sure." Chris walked Christian to the door and they said goodbye to each other, and then he closed the door and headed upstairs to find Stephanie...

Meanwhile, Christian walked over to his car and got in, then sat there and looked off into space, thinking. So Chris and Trish had slept together. Chris had said he was drunk, and Christian believed him, but it still pissed him off to think of the two of them together... His best friend and the woman he still loved, despite what she'd done to him, to his heart...

_Chris and Trish both deserve a little payback_, Christian thought to himself as he started the car and pulled off. _And I know just how I'm going to repay them both...using Stephanie..._

**A/N: Wow, it's been a long time! This chapter was...well, it's here, that's all I can say. I started it over three times and then yesterday I got inspired, so here's what I came up with! Hope it wasn't TOO boring for you...and don't forget to review! Thanks!**


	12. And So It Begins

**Chapter 12: And So It Begins...**

**A/N: Let me tell you guys, writer's block is so NOT fun... I'm trying to work through it and you guys are all being so patient, which I'm thankful for. Thanks to Nina for always being there for me to talk to and putting up with my constant promises of updating... Don't be _too_ brutal if/when you review... Now, on with the chapter!**

"Are you ready for tonight?" Chris asked, walking up behind Stephanie. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his chin on her shoulder, then gazed at the amazing picture their reflections made in the mirror together. They really did make a pretty good-looking couple. He seriously couldn't imagine having any other woman by his side for the rest of his life.

"I'm ready. The question is, are _you_ ready?" Stephanie replied seriously as she looked him in the eyes through the mirror. "Are you ready to pretend to hate me again? And to see me pretending to get all chummy with Christian?"

"Like I told you before, I could never hate you, and it's going to be hard to pretend to hate you now, too," he answered. "Do you know how hard it was to pretend to hate you all those years ago? And for so long? Secretly loving you and pining after you and then pretending to hate you, that just wasn't my style..."

"Aw, you pined after me?" she asked, turning around in his arms. "And you secretly loved me?" He nodded, and she smiled. "I felt the same way about you. I wanted you so bad, every time I saw you in those vinyl pants, I wanted to just-"

He interrupted her, closing the short distance between them and kissing her softly. After a short while, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers and sighing in content. "You're mine," he whispered to her. "All mine."

"And you're mine," she whispered back. "Forever." She was about to kiss him again, but the doorbell rang, so she pulled away to glace over at the clock. "Oh, I didn't realize what time it was. That must be Christian."

"Oh, so it's time to go now, huh?" he asked her, not wanting to let go.

"Yes, baby, it's time to go," she replied, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. She gently pulled away from him and looked sadly down at her hand. "Damn it, I really don't want to take my ring off."

"Then leave it on," he said. "It would make me that much happier if you flaunted that ring around in front of your dad... He'd be completely clueless about its significance."

"And you call _me_ devious," she said with a grin. "For you... I'll keep it on. I'll look at it and remember why the hell we're going through with this whole plan anyway."

"You do that, then," he told her, kissing her cheek. "Now come on, Christian's waiting for us outside."

Christian leaned against the door outside and looked at nothing in particular. His eyes focused on a car that was passing by, but his mind was anywhere but there. Instead, he was thinking about the same thing he'd been thinking about since he'd found out about what had happened between Chris and Trish... He was thinking about his revenge.

He didn't want to have to use and hurt Stephanie, but that was just the way things were going to have to be. Stephanie was a great person, but she was the one who could be everything he needed to get his revenge... And he had no doubts that he was going to get his revenge... He already had a plan, and that plan was going to start today at the pay-per-view...

"Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting," Stephanie said as she opened the door for Christian. Chris was right behind her, and she grabbed his arm and looked into his eyes, smiling. "_This _guy was keeping me occupied upstairs..."

"Shhh, don't tell our bedroom secrets," Chris joked, smiling back at her. He looked at Christian, then at his watch. "I guess it's about time we get ready to-"

"Right. So we're arriving together, aren't we?" Christian asked Stephanie, cutting Chris off in the process. Chris looked surprised that Christian had interrupted him the way that he did, but Christian ignored it and looked at Stephanie. "It's going to be just me and you or will Chris be with us, too?"

"It's going to be just me and you," Stephanie answered, not noticing the way Christian had interrupted Chris. She checked to make sure she had everything she needed as she spoke. "We should probably head over there now and be a little early, you know... So I can show you off backstage."

"Show me off, huh? I'm sorry, Steph, I'm not your boyfriend," Christian joked, poking her playfully on the arm. _Yet_, he added mentally, his smile growing a little bigger.

"I'll see you at the arena," Stephanie told Chris. She leaned over to kiss him softly. When she pulled away, she saw the worried look on his face and sighed. "Everything's going to be ok with us, baby. Tonight is just the first stage in our plan, but we're going to get my dad and Trish back for what they did..."

"Something just feels wrong. I don't know how to explain it," Chris said, lowering his voice so that Christian wouldn't hear him. "I don't know what it is, Stephy, but something feels...weird about this."

"It's always weird at the beginning of something new... We can pull this off, Chris, I know we can," she assured him. She kissed him again, tracing the side of his face lightly with her finger. "I'll see you there, baby... I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered back.

"So, I hate to break up this little lovefest, but we're going to need to leave now if we're going to get there early," Christian interrupted. If he had to watch one more minute of those two professing their love to each other and making googly eyes at each other, he was going to shoot himself in the foot. He didn't know why he was feeling this way, but just watching those two made him jealous... Why couldn't he have had this kind of relationship with Trish? Why did Chris get to have the perfect life? Why did Chris get to have the perfect woman?

"Uh, Christian?" Stephanie asked, touching Christian's arm. He shook his head as if clearing his thoughts, then looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "You kind of zoned out for a minute," she explained. "I'm ready when you are."

"Ok, then let's go," Christian said. He looked over at Chris and nodded, deciding that he really didn't want to say anything to the other man right now. Sure, that was his best friend, and he'd been tricked into sleeping with Trish... But the fact of the matter was that Chris had slept with Trish, and no matter what the circumstances were, Christian wanted his revenge...

Chris watched Stephanie and Christian head over to Christian's car together. Christian opened the door for Stephanie and waited for her to get in before closing the door and walking around to the other side and getting in. He watched the two back out of the driveway. Stephanie blew him a kiss and he caught it, then blew her one back. As the car pulled away, he felt like something was wrong...

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he could tell that something was up with Christian, and all of a sudden, he didn't think this so-called plan for revenge was such a great idea anymore...

He just didn't know how right he would be.

_**At The Arena...**_

"Are you sure you're really ready for this?" Stephanie asked, looking over at Christian. They were in the parking garage, sitting in the car. They had only just arrived at the arena, and they had yet to get out.

"I'm ready. The question is, are _you_ ready for this?" Christian countered.

"I was born ready," she answered confidently. She looked at him with a concerned look on her face. "But seriously, I only asked if you were ready because... Well. I've had a few days to process the news of what happened between Chris and Trish, and you've only had since yesterday. I know how I felt when I first heard about it, and it still sickens me to think about it..."

"Sickens me, too," he said with a sigh, looking out the window. "To think of my best friend and my ex being together in that way. To think of them making love, it's-"

"That's not what they were doing, ok? When Chris and I are together, that's what it is. When they were together, it wasn't anything like that," she was quick to point out. "Look, Christian, the thing is, the first thing I thought of when Chris told me was getting revenge, and I'm sure that's what you're thinking, too. I just... I just don't want you to want revenge on the wrong person. I don't want you to want revenge on Chris, because he was the victim here, too."

"Revenge on Chris? Who said I wanted revenge on Chris?" he asked with a nervous laugh. "He's my best friend..."

"And he slept with your...Trish... And no matter how it happened, that's probably the only way you'll see it," she said. She smirked a little at the look of surprise on his face. "It's like I can read you like a book, I know that's what you're thinking. I'm intuitive, at least, that's what Chris says... But I'm thinking you probably want to get back at Chris, too, and I'm just warning you now that you shouldn't try that."

"Are you threatening me, Stephanie?" he asked, looking intently at her.

"No, I'm not threatening you, Christian. I'm just trying to make sure that you have the same intentions that Chris and I have," she explained. "Because if not, then you really don't need to be a part of this."

"Let me assure you, Stephanie, my intentions are the same as yours. You want revenge and so do I," he said seriously. He looked at her for a minute, and he saw her searching his face, probably trying to see if he was sincere. He held her gaze until he saw her relax a little, and he smiled at her.

"So we're on the same page?" she asked him.

"Definitely," he answered.

"Then let's do this."

Five minutes later, the pair headed into the building and began walking through the hallway, searching for Stephanie's office. After walking around in what seemed like one endless maze, they ended up in front of a room with a sign on it that read: Chris Jericho/Stephanie McMahon.

"What the hell is this? I thought he was trying to keep you guys apart," Christian said, eyebrows knitted in confusion as he studied the sign on the door.

"You know how my dad is. He's keeping us apart, but he's making us stay around each other so it hurts... He just wants to twist the knife in a little harder," Stephanie answered, shaking her head as she looked at the sign. "You know, it's really sad that he would do this to someone he supposedly loves... I'm his daughter, you know?"

"Of course I know you're his daughter. Everyone knows," he joked. "You have his chin."

"Shut up," she laughed, opening the door and walking into the room. Her laughter died when she saw her father waiting in there for her.

"Ah, Stephanie, you're here," Vince spoke, smiling at his daughter. When Christian stepped in behind her, his smile disappeared instantly, and he stood up. "Christian? What the hell are you doing here?"

"He's here with me, Daddy, to help me through...everything that's been going on with Chris," Stephanie said, immediately jumping into the role of the heartbroken princess. "I spent all week with Christian at his house because I was so upset over what happened with Chris..."

"Don't worry, Vince, I comforted your little princess just the way she needed me to," Christian said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at the older man, then smirking.

"You don't work here anymore, Christian, so you aren't supposed to be here!" Vince exclaimed, getting angry when he saw the smirk on his former employee's face.

"Daddy, Christian's my guest... He's helping me get over Chris," Stephanie said, looking down at the floor. When she looked back up at her father, her eyes were filled with tears. _Damn, I'm good,_ she thought smugly, but she spoke in a choked voice. "Because isn't that what you wanted me to do, Daddy? Didn't you want me to get over Chris? He doesn't want me anymore, remember?"

"Of course I remember, but did you have to choose Christian?" Vince asked, shaking his head to show his disapproval. "How do you know this guy's not just here to use you to get back at me?"

"Make no mistakes about it, Vince, I don't like you," Christian said bluntly. "But I do like your daughter and as long as she needs me to get over my jackass friend, then I'm going to be here for her, end of discussion."

"I don't like this, I don't like this one bit, damn it," Vince said angrily, heading over to the door. He looked at Christian with a look of distaste on his face. "And does Chris know that you're with my daughter now? I thought he was your best friend, and now you're with his ex-girlfriend... What kind of a friend are you?"

"Chris will find out in due time what he gave up when he let Stephanie go," Christian said coolly, putting his arms around Stephanie. He pulled her to him and hugged her, and she leaned against him, playing her role to the fullest. "He'll regret it, too..."

"Who's going to regret what?" came a new voice. Everyone looked over towards the door, where Chris was standing with his duffle bag. Chris looked over at Stephanie, who was in Christian's arms, then at Vince, then at Christian. _Time to jump into my role._ "What the hell is going on here? Christian, what are you doing here, and with _her_?"

"I heard about the breakup, and... How do I put this lightly? I think you're a jackass," Christian said bluntly, glaring at Chris and still hugging Stephanie.

"You don't even know what happened," Chris countered, rolling his eyes. He looked at Stephanie, taking notice of the tears glistening in her eyes. _Damn, she's a great actress_, he thought, forcing himself not to smile. "What are you doing with him?"

"You shouldn't care, but if you have to know, he's helping me get over _you_," Stephanie answered, looking down to avoid smiling at him. She hugged Christian back and looked the other way so she wouldn't have to look at Chris. "I can't even look at you right now, Chris..."

"Like I wanted a trash-bag ho like you looking at me anyway," Chris scoffed, dropping his duffle bag over by the couch and heading for the door. "I'm going to go get some water... Feel free _not_ to follow me."

"She wouldn't want to anyway!" Christian called after Chris as he left the room.

Vince looked at Christian and Stephanie, then shook his head and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. As soon as the door closed, Stephanie broke away from Christian and wiped her eyes, laughing a little as she sat down in the chair behind her desk.

"That was so hard. I wanted to laugh so bad," she laughed, leaning back in the chair. "Daddy's so clueless. He has no idea what's really going on here... He's so out of the loop..."

_He's not the only McMahon out of the loop_, Christian thought, looking at Stephanie and smiling lightly. She rose one eyebrow at him, as if asking him why he was looking at her, and he just kept smiling. "And so it begins," he said quietly.

She nodded her head, smiling back at the thought of getting revenge on her father. "And so it begins..."


End file.
